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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30138669">Reclaim Your Rage</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/genderneutralnoun/pseuds/genderneutralnoun'>genderneutralnoun</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Darkness of Desire [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ableism, Akira is a VERY different character, Autistic Persona 5 Protagonist, Better Texting Than Canon, Beyond Canon-Typical Traumatizing Events, Beyond canon-typical violence, Content Warning: Kamoshida, F/F, Female Persona 5 Protagonist, I gave Akira an actual door, Japanese name order, No Arsene, Nonbinary Morgana (Persona Series), Persona 5 Protagonist Has ADHD, Persona 5 Protagonist Has Anxiety, Ryuji will eventually say fuck, Trauma Recovery, bisexual screaming</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:33:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>39,735</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30138669</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/genderneutralnoun/pseuds/genderneutralnoun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The world is cruel. Far crueler when you’re a girl like Kurusu Akira. After one cruelty too many, her life is overturned; but perhaps a new start is just what she needs.<br/>Still, the scars of her past are deep, and many. The journey of rebirth starts with a single act of rebellion. It will take many more, as she follows the path of the Trickster hidden in her heart.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist, Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Darkness of Desire [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2256845</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Humble Beginnings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story contains potentially triggering, upsetting, day-ruining, or otherwise aversive material. If you want to check before starting, you can head to the latest chapter and see a full list of warnings for the entire story as it is at that date- however, I will be adding new content, and thus new warnings constantly. A good rule of thumb is that this story goes into everything the main game gets into in more detail, and has even more stuff beyond that. Warnings for that specific chapter will be placed in the end notes of each chapter, so that people who desire to read without spoilers can do so.</p><p>I take no responsibility for any harm done to you or others through this work. Don't like, don't read. Thanks.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi, thanks for looking at my fic! Yeah, I know, there's like a zillion P5FeMC fics happening lately, but I just couldn't resist doing my own interpretation. I'll talk a little bit about my vision for this fic in the end notes of this chapter. Warnings will also be in the end notes!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Yongen-Jaya. This is Yongen-Jaya.”</p><p>Akira starts at the sound of her stop, looking up from her phone. She slips it into her bag, and awkwardly weaves her way through the crowd, wincing whenever someone bumps into her.</p><p>
  <em> Of all the places to spend my probation, it would have to be Tokyo. </em>
</p><p>Tokyo, the most populated city in the world, known for its cramped, but efficient subway systems. Akira hated being close to strangers, and hated touching them even more. But it wasn’t like she had any choice.</p><p>Having taken the subway from the train station, she pulls out her phone as she walks out of the building. Sighing in relief, she switches over to her navigation app and punches in the address for her new guardian, Sakura Sojiro. According to the station attendant she’d asked for help, Sakura would likely be at his cafe, but Akira had decided to check his house first.</p><p>When she arrives, Akira rings the doorbell. After a few minutes, she rang the doorbell again.</p><p><em>No one’s home, apparently.</em> <em>Cafe it is.</em></p><p>Luckily, someone is there, at least. “Welcome. What can I get you?” comes a gruff, but friendly voice.</p><p>Akira closes the door quietly behind her, then faces him and bows. “I’m Kurusu Akira… Are you Sakura Sojiro-san?”</p><p>“Oh right… that was today.” The man behind the counter, apparently Sakura, sighs. “That’s me, but you can just call me Boss. I don’t like formalities.”</p><p>“Okay, Boss-san.”</p><p>He chuckles. “Just Boss is fine, kid.” Sakura looks her up and down, and Akira can’t help but squirm slightly. “I was wondering what kind of unruly kid would show up, but… it’s you, huh? Don’t look like you’d do any of that stuff.”</p><p>Akira shuffles uncomfortably, still looking at the floor.</p><p>“Well, I don’t have a guest room in my house, but there is a storage room upstairs here with a futon.” He gestures to a door in the back of the shop with an ‘Employees Only’ sign on it. “I didn’t have time to clean it up, though, so you’ll have to do it yourself.”</p><p>Akira nods silently, and hears Sakura sigh, then what sounds like someone ruffling papers. “Assault, conpensated dating, even underage sex work… You sound like a real piece of work.” Akira keeps her eyes glued to the floor. “I know the world’s hard for young girls, but couldn’t you just ask your parents for help…?”</p><p>Akira doesn’t answer.</p><p>“Hmm… Well, no point in grilling you about it, I suppose. What’s done is done.” Sakura moves toward her, and Akira senses it, moving away and looking up at him warily, making it look like she was heading for the back of the shop. Sakura frowns, but doesn’t comment on it. “Just to be clear, nothing like that, no law-breaking of any kind will be tolerated while you’re here, got it?” Akira nods, still not meeting his eyes. Oddly, he doesn’t comment on that, either. “Let’s see… store closes at eight in the afternoon, opens at seven in the morning, don’t come over to my house unless it’s an emergency. You can bring your friends or whatever up to your room, but if you’re going to be making any noise, try to keep it outside of store hours. And…” Sakura rubs the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. “They said it’s fine if you date or have sex, so long as it’s within legal bounds. Personally, I don’t care as long as you don’t bother my customers.”</p><p>“O-okay.”</p><p>“Alright. Head on up now, before someone else comes in.”</p><p>Akira nods, then opens the door Sakura had indicated at the back. Behind it is an old staircase that looks to be in good repair, despite its age. Closing the door behind her, she walks up the stairs to find what she had been promised; a dusty storage room, with a futon near the window and a lumpy sofa, not to mention plenty of boxes. Wordlessly, she puts her headphones in, listening to some music while she begins to clean up.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Her room now mostly clean, Akira flops on her bed, aching all over. She pauses the shuffle on her phone, pulls off her headphones, and listens, simply taking in the sounds of her new home, trying to get used to them.</p><p>She hears the cafe door’s bell ring, and not long after, the door to her room open. She tenses instinctively, sitting up, making sure she’s modest before Sakura’s head appears from the stairs. </p><p>“Huh… it’s really clean here,” Sakura remarks. “Don’t think it’s been this clean since I bought the place. Well, I suppose anyone would want to have a clean space to live in…”</p><p><em> I’m cleaning it because it’s your place, </em> Akira thinks, then quickly dunks the thought back down into her subconscious. As a result, she says nothing, just stares at him, not quite meeting his eyes.</p><p>“…What’re you looking at me like that for, kid?”</p><p>Akira shakes her head. “I-I’m sorry, I was lost in thought.”</p><p>“Hm. Well, it’s no business of mine what you’re thinking about. I came up here to give you this.” He walks over and hands her a small book. “That’s a journal. You’re going to have to keep it updated, alright? Rules of your probation.”</p><p>Akira doesn’t remember hearing anything about that. Briefly she wonders if it’s his means of spying on her, but she quickly dismisses that. He’s been nothing but gracious to her… so far.</p><p>Sakura coincidentally relieves her worries with his next words. “I’ll be checking it every so often, so don’t write anything too embarrassing or personal in there, got it?” Akira nods.</p><p>“Last thing… there’s a shower in the bathroom downstairs. You might have to clean it out, though, nobody’s used it in a long time.” Akira nods again silently.</p><p>After that, he leaves, and Akira is alone with her thoughts.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akira falls asleep, fully expecting more nightmares. So she isn’t surprised when she wakes up in a jail cell, in inmate’s clothes, but she <em> is </em> surprised when a loud clang startles her off of her uncomfortable bed.</p><p>“Wake up, Inmate!” comes a young girl’s voice. “Geez! You can’t expect to be allowed to laze about all day!”</p><p>Akira groans, rubbing her head. The impact with the floor was far too painful for a dream, and she already feels disorientated, but she stands up anyway. She shuffles over to her cell’s bars, eyes blurry, and looks down to see two young girls with white hair, dressed in blue warden’s uniforms. One of them holds a clipboard, while the other holds a baton, which Akira assumes is what made the clang.</p><p>“The inmate has arisen,” the one with the clipboard states. </p><p>“Stand up straight, Inmate!” Baton Girl barks. “You are in the presence of our master! Show some respect!”</p><p>
  <em> Master? </em>
</p><p>Akira looks up from them to see a man sitting at a desk. She tries not to stare at how very… disproportionate his face is, but he only chuckles at the surprise on her own face. “Welcome to my Velvet Room,” he says, his voice a hoarse growl that makes Akira wince. “I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Trickster.”</p><p>“Who, me?” Akira grunts. It isn’t exactly polite, but she feels exactly as tired as she did falling asleep, her head hurts, and everything is awful.</p><p>The strange man chuckles. “Yes, that is you. The fate you’ve been entwined in… It is most certainly that of a Trickster.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>“This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter… It is a room that only those bound by a contract can enter,” he intones deeply.</p><p>“What contract is that?” Akira asks.</p><p>Baton Girl and Clipboard Girl look at each other uneasily. The strange man simply chuckles. “You will find out.”</p><p>“Okay.” She acquiesces. <em> I’ll make sure to read the fine print. </em></p><p>“My my, so polite. And when you’re in a filthy prison cell, no less.” He looks around, as if seeing the room for the first time, despite having been here first. Akira doesn’t respond. “I summoned you here to speak of urgent matters. It concerns your life, as well as the fate of the entire world as you know it.”</p><p>Before Akira can respond to that, he speaks again. “Ah, but where are my manners? My name is Igor. To your right is Caroline, to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here.”</p><p>Akira bows her head to the three of them. “I’m Kurusu Akira. I am pleased to meet you.”</p><p>Akira hears a clang and feels an unpleasant tingle in her fingers, making her let go of the prison’s bars. “L-look us in the eyes when you’re talking to us, Inmate!” Caroline barks.</p><p>“Y-yes, ma’am.”</p><p>Igor chuckles again; Akira is really starting to hate the sound of it. “This place takes on its shape based on the state of one’s heart… How telling, then, that it has taken the shape of a prison.”</p><p>
  <em> No shit. </em>
</p><p>He continues, “You truly are a prisoner of fate. In the near future, there is no mistaking the ruin that awaits you.”</p><p>“What kind of ruin could be worse than this?”</p><p>Igor’s eyes gleam, and shards of memory shift quickly through Akira’s mind, causing her to dig her nails into her palms. Somehow, she knows that he sees them, and it makes her feel violated. Akira decides she doesn’t like this long-nosed man.</p><p>“There is, however, a means to oppose this ruin. You must be rehabilitated… rehabilitated towards freedom. That is your only means to avoid ruin…” Igor smiles in his creepy way at her. “Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?”</p><p>Akira thinks. “I mean, I’d rather avoid ruin.”</p><p>He chuckles. “That will do. Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation.”</p><p><em> I’d prefer for this guy to not observe anything, thanks. </em>“Do I have a choice?”</p><p>Igor ignores her. “Our time here is waning… you require rest if you are to thwart the ruin that approaches. Take your time to slowly come to understand this place… we will surely meet again, eventually.”</p><p>A prison bell rings, making Akira jolt and put her hands up to her ears. “Time’s up, Inmate!” Caroline barks. “Now hurry up and go back to sleep!”</p><p>Akira’s vision fades before she can even think about going back to her prison bed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings for this chapter:<br/>- Intrusive thoughts<br/>- Unintentional victim blaming<br/>- Mentions/implications of CSA</p><p>So, here's the basics of my plans for this fic, without spoiling anything:<br/>- Makoto x Akira (Makira???) will be happening.<br/>- Sojiro is nicer to Akira at the beginning because she reminds him of Futaba.<br/>- Lots of lore overhauling, especially in the case of Palaces and Personas/Shadows. Since this is a written story and not a game, the Palaces will be more, IDK, narrative-based? Akira also won't have a zillion Personas, with her powers working a bit more like the party members in P1 and P2.<br/>- Confidant overhauls.<br/>- Phantom Thieves are more explicitly marginalized (queer, disabled, minors though that's pretty explicitly dealt with already) and the "outcasts of society".<br/>- Morgana will be nonbinary (they/them).<br/>- Lots of backstory for the main character.</p><p>Hope you enjoy!</p><p>Original post date: 2021-03-19.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Information Not Available</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warnings are in the end notes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day, Akira shifts awake, sunlight streaming in and hitting her eyes. She hisses at the uncomfortable sensation, then remembers herself and falls silent. She checks the time- about six-thirty, a little later than usual- and gets herself dressed.</p><p>She spends the time until opening in her room, making her bed, brushing her hair (it was long, fluffy, and utterly impossible), trying to look at least a little presentable. Her parents always said first impressions were important.</p><p>Her parents… </p><p>She shakes her head, stowing that thought at the back of her mind for later. After she puts her glasses back on, Akira pulls out her phone, grunting softly in annoyance at a new app icon that’s messed up her home screen layout.</p><p>
  <em> Must be a new system app… the art is different, though. An eye…? </em>
</p><p>She decides not to open it on the off chance it could be some sort of virus, and instead goes to the application list to find and investigate it. The “Uninstall” and “Disable” icons are grayed out. <em>Must be a system app then.</em> <em>I wonder what it does...</em></p><p>Akira taps on it, and it brings up a red-and-black interface showing a map of Tokyo, menu icons at the top, a search bar below that, and a line of text reading: <em> You are: ???, Tokyo, Yongen, Leblanc: Coffee and Curry, Akira’s Room. </em></p><p>
  <em> Um. What was that last one? </em>
</p><p>She taps the ’?’ mark in the top-right corner. The screen transitions to another interface, this one resembling a chat. There’s a pop-up she reads before dismissing:</p><p>
  <em> Welcome to the MetaNav application! </em>
</p><p>
  <em> If you have any questions, please send them here. Your personal assistant shall answer them. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Note that some information may be withheld depending on your clearance. </em>
</p><p>“Well, that’s fun,” Akira murmurs to herself. She types into the chat:</p><p>KA: What does this app do?</p><p>PA: That information cannot be acquired.</p><p>KA: Will it damage my phone or the data on it in any way?</p><p>PA: It will not.</p><p>KA: Why does this app know that this is my room?</p><p>PA: That information cannot be acquired.</p><p>KA: What does MetaNav stand for?</p><p>PA: That information cannot be acquired.</p><p>Akira sighs, rubbing her face. Just another day in her life. </p><p>As she’s contemplating uninstalling the app manually, Akira hears the door to the store open. Since it’s the first person here, she figures it’s Sakura.</p><p>Akira heads down the stairs, creaking them slightly. She opens the door, peeking her head through shyly.</p><p>“Oh, you’re up bright and early, huh?” Sakura greets her.</p><p>“The sunlight woke me up…” she murmurs.</p><p>“Don’t they have sunlight where you live?” Sakura says with a grin. Akira tenses, but relaxes when he chuckles to himself; obviously it’s a joke. “Anyway, I’m going to make breakfast for you; I came over early. This won’t be an everyday thing, though.”</p><p>Akira’s stomach growls at the word ’breakfast’, and Sojiro sighs. “How long’s it been since you ate?”</p><p>“Um… Yesterday morning…”</p><p>“Hoo boy, no wonder you’re so tiny.” He laughs, but Akira looks away. “You skipped a year when you were young, right? You’re almost as short as…” He trails off. “Um, anyway, how do you feel about curry? No allergies?”</p><p>“N-none.” That’s technically not true, but they aren’t food allergies. “Curry sounds great, thank you.”</p><p>He gestures for her to sit on the bar, and she starts reading on her phone, looking at her new school’s website. He leaves her be, strangely enough, only calling her name when the food is ready.</p><p>“Here’s your curry, Akira-san… Er, you don’t mind if I call you by your given name, do you?”</p><p>“…it’s fine.” She takes the plate from him and sets it in front of her, poking it cautiously before scooping a large helping into her mouth. Her eyes widen. “Ah! Hot!”</p><p>Sakura chuckles. “Hey, it’s not gonna run away from you. We’ll be leaving after you’re done, so I won’t be opening until we get back.”</p><p>“Th-thank you.” She blows on the curry this time before eating it. She goes perhaps a bit faster than is polite, but all too soon, it’s gone. “Ah… that was delicious. Thank you, Boss.”</p><p>Sakura looks away, holding his head behind his hand. “Ah, it’s nothing… Anyway, want some coffee?”</p><p>“I’ve, um… never had that before…”</p><p>Sakura’s eyes widen. “Seriously? Fifteen years old and you’ve never had a cup of coffee? That’s a crying shame, that is.” He heads back to the kitchen and comes back with a metal kettle, and pours a dark brown liquid into a mug she hadn’t noticed before. “It’s a bit cool, but… ah, since you’ve never had any before, you’ll want cream.” He heads back into the kitchen and returns with another, smaller metal container, which he proceeds to pour some of into her mug. “That blend’s not the best for cream, but… whatever. Just stir it before you drink.”</p><p>Akira stirs it with the spoon he provided, then sips. It’s bitter, but not unpleasantly so; the cream smothers it in an odd way. “Tasty,” she admits quietly. She then proceeds to down the cup.</p><p>When she’s finished, she feels… oddly calm. Akira remembers hearing that coffee makes you more energized, but it would just be her luck if she was influenced in the opposite direction. She quickly squishes <em> that </em> thought, too.</p><p>“Heh, glad you like it… Uh, you ready to go?” Sakura asks her. Akira nods, and slides off the barseat. Her bag is still on her shoulder, and she tucks her phone into it.</p><p>The drive there is uneventful. She reads on her phone again, and Sakura doesn’t try to make conversation, for which she is grateful. Akira is broken out of her concentration when the engine stops, and she looks up to see they’re parked in front of… a very normal looking school. Shujin Academy, the sign says.</p><p>Akira tries to disguise her shaking as they head to the principal’s office, and as far as she can tell, she succeeds. She’s introduced to Principal Kobayakawa, who she listens to carefully for hints, but all the info she gets is as follows: that she’s a liability, that they took her in to improve their reputation, that she’ll be expelled at the slightest mistake. <em> Pretty typical of non-“special” schools, honestly; though how rude he is is new. I suppose teachers can afford to be ruder to criminal students than disabled students. </em></p><p>“This is the teacher in charge of your class.” Kobayakawa indicates the brown-haired woman beside him, who’d been silent the entire time.</p><p>“I’m Kawakami Sadayo,” she says monotonously. <em> She looks tired. </em>“Here’s your student ID and handbook.” Akira reaches for them, but Kawakami snatches something under them before Akira even notices it. “Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office, or worse. And, if by chance you cause any problems, I won’t be able to help you, got it?” She glances at Kobayakawa as she says it.</p><p>“She is responsible for all her actions,” the principal adds.</p><p>Kawakami mutters something to him, her voice low and annoyed. “It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one that had an opening,” he replies to her, as if Akira isn’t there. <em> Ah. Yeah, that makes sense. </em> </p><p>Sakura sighs. “…If you’re done explaining things, mind if we get going? I got a store to get back to.”</p><p>“Oh, there’s one more thing.” Kobayakawa looks directly at Akira this time. “This is a private school, so we’re under no obligations to provide special assistance for you, understand?”</p><p>Sakura frowns, glancing at Akira, who simply nods. “I understand, sir.” </p><p>“Sakura-san, please keep a close eye on her. Don’t let her cause any trouble outside,” the principal instructes sternly.</p><p>“I think she knows how serious her situation is by now…” Sojiro admits with one hand scratching behind his head.</p><p>“Don’t get lenient with her,” the principal reiterates.</p><p>Sakura glares at Kobayakawa, but says nothing. Akira looks down at the ground, feeling bad.</p><p>“Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow,” Kawakami says, obviously trying to move things along. “I’ll show you to your classroom. Don’t be late, alright?”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Everyone’s giving you the cold shoulder,” Sakura states as they walk back to the car. “That’s what having a criminal record does to you…”</p><p>“I’m used to it,” Akira murmurs, not quite quietly enough that he doesn’t catch it. He glances back at her, still with that frown.</p><p>“…I guess your past follows you wherever you go,” he mutters. “Come on, we’re going home.”</p><p>They get back into his car, and as soon as they get into the heavier streets, they’re slammed with traffic. “Ugh, this is a nightmare,” Sakura grumbles. “You’re taking the train from now on, got it?”</p><p>“Yes, sir.”</p><p>“Don’t gotta be so damn polite…” He sighs and looks back at Akira. “So, how’s the school? Think you can manage?”</p><p>“I can’t complain,” Akira mumbles.</p><p>Sakura shrugs and turns back to the street. The radio crackles, and a jingle plays. “This is your regular traffic update… A subway train has derailed, severely affecting the timetable across all of…” </p><p>“Another accident?” Sakura groans. “Makes sense that the traffic’s so bad now. There’s been so many weird accidents lately… In fact, there was a real sad one last month. The girl that passed away was only fifteen.”</p><p>“That’s awful…” Akira hugs herself, unable to block the pang of sadness and fear she felt at that. <em> The city is even more dangerous than I imagined…  </em></p><p>“Yeah, no kidding. Her parents have gotta be just…” </p><p>The radio continues. “All traffic around Shibuya Station is being redirected due to the accident, so drivers should expect jam-packed streets.”</p><p>Sakura chuckles darkly. “Didn’t I just say that?”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>They finally make it back to the cafe, and Sojiro sighs, glancing at his watch. “It’s way too late to open the store… Geez, what a waste of my Sunday.”</p><p>“S-sorry, Boss,” Akira mumbles.</p><p>Sakura glances at her, then looks away. “Not like you can control traffic… Can you make yourself dinner? You’re free to use the kitchen, just don’t go throwing the food down the sink.”</p><p>“S-sure.”</p><p>Sakura leaves, and Akira opens the fridge, sighing in relief when she finds some instant ramen that she likes- the kind her parents would only rarely buy because it was ‘too fattening’. She shoves that thought to the back of her mind and sets the water to boil on the stove.</p><p>Once the ramen is done, she tears into it, finding herself eating very quickly again. Her parents would always tell her that eating so fast wasn’t polite, but once she started eating, she would always only then become aware of how hungry she was, and just couldn’t stop.</p><p>She makes a small noise; since she’s busy with eating, she can actually <em> think </em> now. She feels guilty for feeling… less tense away from her parents, even as she feels stressed being in a strange house in a strange city. But she can’t help it; something in her had started talking to her, ever since she woke up and realized that she had <em> actual privacy. </em> It speaks of rebellion; small things, things her parents wouldn’t know of when she went back… </p><p>Strange as it is, she’s already dreading it.</p><p>Akira washes her dishes and puts them with the other ones to be sorted, then grabs a pair of pajamas from her room and her bag of toiletries, opens the bathroom door, then groans at the sight of the shower. It’s around a corner, so guests didn’t have to see it, but behind the drape is dirt buildup and tiny mosses.</p><p>She washes the whole thing down with the cleaning fluids Sakura had shown her for her room (he uses all organic cleaners, apparently), and it takes nearly an hour until she feels comfortable using it. It’s about seven-thirty by then, so she showers, then heads up to her room, getting into bed before reopening the school website on her phone, hoping that the lunches are affordable.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings:<br/>- Intrusive thoughts<br/>- Implied ableism<br/>- Implied past child abuse</p><p>One thing I wanted to say was, Akira is very observant, but because [redacted] she purposefully tunes out anyone who isn't talking directly to her. Hope that's ominous enough for y'all. :)</p><p>Original post date: 2021-03-19. Revision date: 2021-03-26.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Stranger Danger Yet Stranger</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As usual, warnings are in the end notes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Akira wakes up a little later than yesterday. She still feels sleepy, so it took longer to get ready for the day. The skirt she was given as part of her school uniform made her uncomfortable, but she didn’t have any leg coverings that would fit into the school dress code.</p><p>
  <em> As usual, I’ll just have to live with it. </em>
</p><p>She comes down at about five ‘till, and Sakura is waiting for her, which gives her a surprise. “Morning,” he says quietly.</p><p>“Good morning…”</p><p>“I don’t have the time to make curry today, but there’s some rice balls in the fridge,” he continues. “Can you feed yourself if I’m not here when you leave?”</p><p>“I think so.”</p><p>“Alright.” Sakura picks up the newspaper by him. “Just… get out of here before any customers show up.”</p><p>“Yes, sir.”</p><p>Akira grabs a rice ball and eats it on her way to the station. She hesitates when the train door opens and almost gets knocked over by the rush of people, but otherwise, she manages. </p><p>When she gets off of the second train, it’s started raining, and she takes shelter under an awning to check her navigation app. Akira already feels wet and uncomfortable; her long hair soaked up the rain like a sponge, and probably made her look like a wet rat. <em> Great, now I’m soaked on my first day. </em></p><p>A girl takes shelter beside her, and Akira glances over just as she pulls her hood down, revealing incredibly blue eyes and pale-blonde hair. <em> Whoa. She’s pretty. </em></p><p>Akira realizes she’s staring as the girl meets her eyes with a polite smile. She looks at the ground, embarrassed, only to nearly jump out of her skin when a masculine voice calls out.</p><p>“Hey there. Need a ride?”</p><p><em> No! </em> Akira only manages to keep from panicking when she realizes that the man in the car is talking to the blonde girl. She stares, wide-eyed, as the girl gets into the car with him.</p><p>“You need a ride, too?”</p><p>“N-n-no,” Akira stutters. The man shrugs and the car window closes; Akira just manages to catch the girl’s resigned face before they drive away.</p><p>Akira swallows anxiously, trying to calm herself down. She’s definitely shaking now, and she’s hyper-aware, recoiling when a blonde boy runs past her. “Dammit… Screw that pervy teacher!”</p><p><em> That was a </em> teacher <em> ? Oh no…  </em></p><p>He turns to her. “What’re you lookin’ at?”</p><p>Akira is too flustered to respond. He frowns at her, his brow furrowing. “You plannin’ on rattin’ me out to Kamoshida?”</p><p>“Wh-who’s that?”</p><p>“You know, the gym teacher?” He sighs. “In that car just now. That was Kamoshida. Geez, you look so clueless… You really a Shujin student?”</p><p>Finally, something she could answer. “I’m transferring today,” she mumbles.</p><p>“Oh, that makes sense.” He glances at her chest, and it takes Akira a moment to realize he’s looking at her student crest. “Second-year, huh? You look kinda young, though… Eh, whatever. C’mon, there’s a shortcut through here.” He gestures to a nearby alleyway.</p><p>Akira remains rooted to the spot, very aware of the things that could happen from following a strange boy into an alleyway.</p><p>“C’mon, you don’t wanna be late. Uh, you can see the school from here.” He points, and Akira peers down the alleyway. He’s right.</p><p>“…okay.” Akira follows the blonde boy, who’s still muttering to himself.</p><p>“Effin’ Kamoshida… thinks he’s the effin’ king of a castle or something.”</p><p>Akira groans as her head suddenly pulses in pain, leaning against the wall of the building next to her. “Aargh… the hell? Where’d that- what the shit?!” she hears Blonde Boy yell.</p><p>She looks up, seeing Blonde Boy holding his head. Akira follows his line of sight to… a castle, exactly where Shujin should be.</p><p>“What the? We didn’t make a wrong turn, though…?” He rubs the back of his head. “Guess we’d better just go in and ask…”</p><p>Akira stays where she is. When Blonde Boy realizes she isn’t following him, he turns around and beckons to her. “C’mon, no point standing around.”</p><p><em> I guess that’s true. </em> Akira follows him silently into the castle, on a drawbridge over a moat. She notes the sign outside, reading “Shujin Academy,” walking past before she can read the whole thing.</p><p>“This is so weird…” Blonde Boy stares around at the inside of the castle. Red and gold finery and a polished wood floor make everything sparkle and shine, hurting Akira’s eyes. “Where’s the friggin’ school?!”</p><p>“The buildings around this castle… they were the same as the ones around Shujin,” Akira observes out loud. </p><p>“Huh, really?” Blonde Boy pulls out his phone; Akira notes that it’s an older model. “No service? What the hell?”</p><p>Akira turns towards one side of the hall, hearing an oddly muffled clanking noise. A suit of armor, hunched over in a combat stance, approaches them, and Akira takes a step backward. Blonde Boy, on the contrary, approaches the suit.</p><p>“Geez, you freaked me out… Who’re you? This some kinda costume day I missed the memo for?”</p><p>“Uh,” Akira squeaked, trying to warn Blonde Boy, though her voice shook. “I don’t think those are students…”</p><p>“Is that armor real?” Blonde Boy didn’t seem to hear her. “C’mon, don’t just stand there. Say somethin’.”</p><p>Three more suits approach them, two behind Akira, one joining the other by Blonde Boy. “…H-hey, what’s going on?” He glances back at Akira, who is paralyzed in fear.</p><p>“<em> What’s one of the handmaidens doing with this ruffian? </em> ” One of the suits speaks; its voice is echoey and grating. <em> Handmaiden? Is that m-me? </em></p><p>“Hey, watch where you’re- Gah!” Blonde Boy is bashed with a shield by one of the suits. Akira can only watch in horror.</p><p>“<em> The boy can get roughed up, but don’t hurt the handmaiden, </em>” one of them warns the others. Akira gasps as a suit grabs her arm, sinking into a kneel in fear. The suit tugs, but Akira’s body won’t move.</p><p>“Hey, let go of- Aagh!” Blonde Boy gets smashed by the same suit again, and he goes limp. Akira whimpers in fear and empathy.</p><p>“<em> You’re scaring her. Use a spell, put her to sleep. </em>” A cloud of hot air blows into her face, and Akira coughs, feeling her eyelids get heavy… </p><p>Everything fades to black.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings:<br/>- Stranger danger<br/>- Panic attacks<br/>- physical assault<br/>- general creepiness typical of the first day of school in canon P5</p><p>This chapter is shorter than most will be; I just felt that this was a logical point to stop, because there's gonna be a LOT happening next chapter, and I wouldn't be able to break up the following scenes very well. Bit of a cliffhanger, I suppose, though if you're reading this you've probably already played P5. So yeah.</p><p>Original post date: 2021-03-20.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Original Sin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As usual, warnings are in the ends notes. This is gonna be a fun one, friends.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira feels as if she’s being dragged down, lethargy permeating every part of her body, feeling heavy and weak… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Wake up!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The yell startles her enough that she jolts, and with it, memory comes flooding back. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span> is enough to make her gasp and wake up fully, nearly falling off of whatever surface she was on as she instinctively tried to sit up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa! You alright?” Blonde Boy was crouched next to her, but leans back as she fumbles. “D-don’t panic! I’m not gonna hurt you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Agh,” Akira groans. Her head feels foggy and stuffy. Instinctively, she sniffs, smelling moss and dirty water. “Wh… where are we?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“H-how should I know? I just woke up too.” Blonde Boy stands up as Akira takes in the environment at a glance; they’re in some sort of archaic prison cell, with chains on the walls and everything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…It looks like we’re in a prison,” she mumbles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No shit… this can’t be some kinda dream.” Blonde Boy walks over to one of the chains, touching it and watching it sway. He glances back at Akira and does a double-take. “Q-quit chewin’ on your hair! That’s gross!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira hadn’t realized she’d been doing that. “S-sorry!” She lets go of her hair, then curls a finger in it and pulls. It hurts, but at least she’s doing something with her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blonde Boy looks away from her, huffing in frustration. “The hell’s going on?!” He walks over to the prison door and bangs on the bars with his fist. “Hey, let us outta here! I know there’s someone out there!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira winces from the loud sounds, but doesn’t say anything. She hadn’t been able to notice before, but Blonde Boy projects aggressiveness in his every action, but less directed; more like he had pent up anger at everything than that he had someone to intimidate. He also walks with a limp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blonde Boy walks back to her, thumbs in his pants’ pockets. “Dammit, where are we? Is this some kinda movie set?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-I don’t think so…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A muffled, pleading scream echoes from somewhere, making them both jump. “Wh-wh-what the hell was that?” Blonde Boy stammers, running over to the prison door. Another scream makes Akira whimper. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa… this shit’s real.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Akira doesn’t answer, he looks back at her. “Whoa, are you alright?” Blonde Boy looks at her, concerned, and Akira realizes she’s shaking visibly.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What do you think?</span>
  </em>
  <span> She bites back the sarcastic answer and instead shakes her head slowly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Argh… This is some messed-up shit…” Blonde Boy rubs the back of his head and glances around the cell. “We gotta look for some way to escape!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira looks around, taking it all in, but she can’t see any weaknesses, though that might just be because she’s panicking. Blonde Boy tries to shift aside one of the barrels, but the scraping of it on the stone floor makes Akira whimper, and, thank God, he stops. “U-uh… shit, you look bad… I, uh… w-wait, what was that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Terribly familiar muffled clanking approaches them, and Akira backs into the corner of the cell, trying to make herself as small as possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four suits of armor approach the cell. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon, ruffian,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” the one nearest to them states. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Your charge is unlawful entry and defiance to the King. Thus, you will be sentenced to death.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S-say what?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one is allowed to do as they please in my castle,” comes an oddly familiar voice, one that Akira can’t recall but still sends a chill down her spine. “Except for me, of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man Blonde Boy called Kamoshida walks up to their cell, clad in a red furred cloak patterned with hearts, and Akira’s panic is complete. She sinks down to the ground, shuddering, eyes wide and barely processing even as she takes it all in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait… Kamoshida, is that </span>
  <em>
    <span>you?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I though it would be some petty thief, but to think it’d be you, Sakamoto… Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven’t learned your lesson at all.” Kamoshida’s eyes burn into Akira, making her skin crawl. “You even had to drag one of my handmaidens into it, hmm? Wanted her for yourself, perhaps?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?! Hell no! I’m no creep like you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that how you speak to a king? It seems that you don’t understand the position you’re in.” Kamoshida turns from Akira towards the boy (apparently Sakamoto), hatred in his golden eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>His eyes weren’t that color before,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Akira realizes belatedly. “Not only did you sneak into </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> castle, you committed the crime of insulting </span>
  <em>
    <span>me-</span>
  </em>
  <span> the </span>
  <em>
    <span>king!</span>
  </em>
  <span> The punishment for that is death!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One of the suits unlocks the cell door, and they march in, surrounding Sakamoto while thankfully ignoring Akira. Her relief is short-lived, however, as Kamoshida approaches her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, I remember this one,” he says, looking her up and down. “The transfer student, hmm? Considering your reputation, it’s really no wonder you got dragged in with </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> waste of space.” Kamoshida sneers at her, then suddenly grabs her wrist, pulling her to her feet and making her stumble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N-no…” she whimpers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> can say </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span> to me, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>king</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” He steps closer, still holding her hand, a move that would usually force her to lean towards him to stay standing, but instead Akira lets herself be held up by her wrist, staring at the floor. “You’re just a stupid whore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kamoshida grabs her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Look at me when I’m talking to you, bitch,” he growls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A furious yell comes from their right, and Sakamoto crashes into Kamoshida, knocking them both off-balance. “Don’t touch her, you bastard!” he snarls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira falls against the wall, sinking to the ground again, her eyes on Sakamoto. Two of the suits grab him, one holding each arm, and they pull him back, forcing him to take a vulnerable stance. Kamoshida walks towards him, fury radiating from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve put off this one’s execution far too long,” he declares. Kamoshida starts to beat Sakamoto as the two suits hold him, and Akira averts her eyes; it’s too terrible to witness, but she can’t close her ears to Sakamoto’s pained grunts, all too obviously trying not to scream for Kamoshida’s satisfaction. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Useless pest,” he snarls, punching Sakamoto one last time, hard enough to send him to the floor. Kamoshida spits at him. “Where’d your energy from earlier go, brat? A peasant like you isn’t worth beating.” The suits pick Sakamoto back up, holding him in place. “I’ll have you killed right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S-stop it…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kamoshida turns back towards Akira. “What did you just say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop it…” Akira hugs herself, trembling in fear, but she stares at him defiantly. “Don’t hurt him!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kamoshida laughs. “You don’t know who I am, do you, bitch?” He gestures to the other two suits, and they grab Akira, pulling her off of the floor and pressing her up against the wall. “That look in your eyes irritates me… Hold her there. After the peasant dies, put her with the other handmaidens who’ve displeased me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N-no… I don’t wanna die…” Sakamoto breathes heavily, and Kamoshida laughs as he tries to get up and away. Akira closes her eyes, not wanting to see it…  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A childlike voice whispers in her mind, and Akira feels a cool breeze on her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>This is truly an unjust game… Your chances of winning are almost none. </b>
</p><p>
  <b>But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you… </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Pain forms like a heat wave in her head, causing her to groan and jerk against the suits holding her to the wall; but through it, there is one thing of clarity. A mature, feminine voice speaks to her, soft but strong. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Are you really going to lay down and take this, while someone else suffers on your account?</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I… </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>You must no longer be meek while those who stand above take precious things from you… You know your anger is a sin, but you must accept it. Are you ready to push through your fear and rebel?</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I… I can’t stand this anymore… I want to take it all back… I want to fight!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>Yes! Bite into the fruit of knowledge and revel in your original sin! No longer shall you be an obedient child of God!</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira feels the cold touch of the suits’ hands on her arms, bringing her scars to the forefront of her mind; instead of drowning her in fear, they come to her hands like a rein in a driver’s hand, like a knife in a thief’s glove.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>I am thou, thou art I… You who have been wronged in the worst ways imaginable… </b>
  <b>
    <em>Show them the extent of your sin.</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>She grits her teeth, her voice coming out harsh and deep. “That’s enough…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What was that?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Kamoshida turns to her, fury in his eyes. “How dare you interrupt a good execution?! If you really desire to be punished that much, I suppose I’ll have to oblige!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N-no… Don’t touch her…!” Sakamoto gasps as one of the suits presses its foot into his back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira’s face twists into a snarl, and she hisses like a snake. “I dare you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kamoshida growls, and gestures to the suits again. They pull her arms out, forcing her into the same stance as before, but Akira strains against them, adrenaline pumping through her veins.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I won’t be taken advantage of again…!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira wrests herself free from the suits’ grip, but the effort knocks her glasses off. Through the hammering pain, Akira lifts a hand to her face, feeling an oddly familiar weight on it. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>needs</span>
  </em>
  <span> to take it off; that much she knows for certain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira strains as she tugs at it, feeling like her face is going to come off with it, but that doesn’t deter her; until, suddenly, skin stretches and snaps, and she hisses in pain, but she’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> felt so relieved. In her hand is a bloody, glittering mask. She glances down at it with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blue fire runs across her like a cool breeze, and suddenly she feels </span>
  <em>
    <span>lighter, faster, stronger, </span>
  </em>
  <span>even as she feels herself split into two, her soul breaking along long-held fracture lines and morphing into something </span>
  <em>
    <span>more.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Through her own eyes but from another point, she sees freezing winds tear through the suits, dissolving two of them into fragments of shadow and knocking over the others.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit…” Sakamoto stares, wide-eyed, while Kamoshida crawls away, whimpering in fear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira laughs, her voice reverberating oddly. The voice from before speaks, but not in her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finally… I couldn’t stand being at that fool’s mercy any longer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira turns to see a pale, black-haired woman covered in silver scales, forming patterns and hiding her privates, though her breasts were bare. A golden snake wraps around her body, its mouth and tongue black as night, and golden jewelry adorns them both, with glimmering purple stones. “I am the serpent of sin, tempter of Eve, and mother of demons, Lilith,” she says, her voice echoing oddly in the cell. “I am the rebel’s will that sleeps within you, Kurusu Akira… If you so desire, I can grant you the power to break through this crisis.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Help me save us both,” Akira responds without hesitating, gesturing to Sakamoto, who’s still staring at them both, as wide-eyed as ever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good answer.” Lilith turns her head towards the cell door, and Akira follows her gaze to see Kamoshida standing again, causing her to growl in anger. “Let’s start by teaching this one we aren’t to be fucked with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who the hell </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>you?!” Kamoshida yells. “Guards! Capture her!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two remaining suits shift shape into relatively small, laughing demons, each with a jack-o-lantern face and holding a lantern. Lilith flows back into Akira, but her voice speaks to her in her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>My power is yours,</b>
  <span> she murmurs. </span>
  <b>You will never have to fear being helpless while I walk with you. Now, show them your strength!</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira feels a knife form in her hand, and she strikes out with it, stabbing into the demon’s head. It yells as it leaks black streams of shadow, like blood, dancing away from her, still alive. Akira growls in frustration. </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Call upon me.</b>
</p><p>
  <span>The words come easily to her lips. “Lilith! Bufu!” Akira takes off her mask again, and Lilith flows out of her. Ice materializes near the wounded demon, before shattering and tearing it apart; turning it into droplets of darkness that fade into the air. Akira turns on the last enemy and calls Lilith again, and it disappears with one hit. “Thank you, Lilith,” she murmurs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What…” Sakamoto stares at her, and Akira looks down at herself to realize she’s in entirely different clothes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s wearing a black, almost ballgown-style dress, and a glittering silver bodice over it that hugs her stomach comfortably. An attached, off-shoulder purple shawl dips far enough it almost teasingly shows off the very top of her breasts, displaying the part of the valley from her bra hugging her breasts together; oddly, that doesn’t bother her. Gold bracelets glitter at her wrists, and she feels herself wearing the same mask she’d taken off. Her skirt is divided into multiple sheets of fabric that layer over each other horizontally, and she kicks experimentally, watching it flow perfectly without restraining her movement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>that just now?” Sakamoto stares at her mask, as if he expected her to start bleeding again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kamoshida seems to have recovered from the shock of watching his troops be defeated, as he advances on Akira. “You little…!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sakamoto takes the chance to charge into him, knocking him over. “How’s that, you son of a bitch?!” he says smugly, before turning to Akira. “C’mon, let’s go!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira looks around for her glasses (did the mask have lenses in it?) and grabs them, picking up the ring of keys next to them. “Ah! We can lock him in!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gimme ‘em!” Akira tosses them to Sakamoto, who catches them easily. They both dash out of the cell, and Sakamoto locks the door behind them with the keys. “Alright, it’s locked!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just in time.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kamoshida stands up, grabbing the bars. “You bitch!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira finally notices that he’s naked under his cloak, aside from a pink pair of underwear. Blue flames flicker over her again, and she’s back in her normal clothes. Almost instantly, the panic returns, and Akira lets out an “eep!” and puts her hands protectively over her chest. Sakamoto looks at her, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-w-we gotta get out of here,” Akira manages to say. Sakamoto nods. He throws the keys into the river running through the dungeon, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>plunk </span>
  </em>
  <span>of their splash giving Akira a calming twinge of pleasure. Then they run, hearing Kamoshida’s voice fade behind them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After them! Don’t let them escape!”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings:<br/>- General creepiness typical of the first day of school in P5 canon<br/>- Autistic person being physically forced to look someone in the eyes<br/>- Misogynistic use of the word “bitch”<br/>- Physical assault<br/>- Graphic depictions of violence<br/>- Non-explicit descriptions of partial nudity</p><p>Well, that was certainly something!<br/>I'm VERY proud of my choice for Akira's first Persona as Lilith, though DD helped me realize just <i>how good</i> of a choice it was. In some stories, Lilith is the snake that tempts Eve to eat the fruit of knowledge, creating original sin- and because Akira has always just accepted what's happened to her until today, Lilith is <i>the embodiment of Akira's original sin.</i> Crazy stuff.<br/>Writing Kamoshida <i>sucks.</i> I'm what one might call a method writer, and squishing around in Kamoshida's head was <i>not</i> fun. But it'll be worth it. I hope, anyway.</p><p>Original post date: 2021-03-22.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Most Roguish of Gentlethieves</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As usual, warnings are in the end notes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The two of them end up having to crawl through what looks like a makeshift tunnel to escape, and Akira doesn’t enjoy it one bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-you go first,” she mumbles to Sakamoto.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why- oh, duh.” Sakamoto crouches down without another word, and the sight of him struggling to get into the hole makes </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> realize what </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> realized, and Akira wishes the reason she asked him to go first was that simple.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She takes a deep breath, then makes herself flat against the ground, army-crawling through the tunnel while trying not to think about the air pressing down on her and the way air moves in tight spaces. Things are going more or less fine until Sakamoto stops in front of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?!” she asks, her voice high-pitched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My bag’s stuck!” Sakamoto groans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira brushes the side of the tunnel, and she yelps, reaching one hand out to shove Sakamoto through the hole by his butt before she can even think about what she’s doing. He practically pops out, and she wriggles out of the hole after him, gasping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa, little warnin’ next time?” Sakamoto looks at her, confused. Akira scrambles to her feet and bows deeply in apology.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-I’m sorry! I just- panicked, I think…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sakamoto gets to his feet as well. “A-ah, it’s fine. C’mon, we gotta get out of here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira leads the way, on high alert, sensing out which paths are safe with an accuracy that surprises even her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe Lilith is helping me?</span>
  </em>
  <span> They’re making good progress until they hit a dead end with a drawbridge, with a bust of Kamoshida next to it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dammit… did we make a wrong turn?” Sakamoto rubs his head, while Akira takes another look around.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The river bends around our side of the floor,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thinks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This drawbridge is probably a choke point in case the prisoners mount an uprising.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I don’t think so…” Akira says out loud. “They wouldn’t put this drawbridge in the middle of nowhere.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess you’re right…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira starts as a childlike voice comes from behind them, then turns to see a… she doesn’t know what it is exactly. The first word that comes to her mind is </span>
  <em>
    <span>cat,</span>
  </em>
  <span> but though it had ears, paws, and a tail like one, it stood on two legs and had a head that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>way</span>
  </em>
  <span> too big for its body. They’re trapped in a cell much like the one they were in before, and looks up at her pleadingly. “Blondie! Fluffy hair! You’re not soldiers of the castle, right?! Let me out of here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The hell is that?!” Sakamoto stares at the cat-being, eyes wide as usual.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The key’s right there! Please!” They point to a ring of keys hanging on the wall to the side of the cell, and then look back at Akira, their eyes pleading. “Y-you look like a kind person, miss! Please, please help me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without another word, Akira grabs the keys and unlocks the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The cat-being stares, wide-eyed, at the now-open cell. “O-oh my… I… I am forever in your debt, miss!” They run up to her and bow deeply with a flourish of their right paw. “What is your name, my lady?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um… Kurusu Akira…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lady Akira!” The cat-being spins around, placing their paws on their hips. “I am Morgana, the most roguish gentle-thief in the world!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this thing for real?” Sakamoto walks up to them. “We’re tryin’ to escape, why are we makin’ detours?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It needed our help… Ah, I hear them coming!” Akira crouches down to talk to Morgana. “Morgana-san, you said you’re in my debt, right? Can you help Sakamoto-san and I escape?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I can! What kind of a thief do you take me for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The kind that was beggin’ to be let out of a cage just now…” Sakamoto grumbles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Morgana glares at Sakamoto. “Th-that was just a small mistake! It’s hard for even a veteran like me to infiltrate Palaces alone!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Palaces?</span>
  </em>
  <span> “B-be quiet, please,” she mumbles, but they both fall silent. “Morgana-san, please…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Lady Akira!” Morgana dashes over to the bust, then leaps and grabs its jaw. To Akira’s surprise, it moves beneath their weight, shifting down with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>click,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and the drawbridge lowers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“H-how were we supposed to know to do that?” Sakamoto says incredulously.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It would be a pretty lame security system if the prisoners knew how to escape.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Let’s just get going,” she mutters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them cross the bridge, and Sakamoto breaks into a run as the clanging of suits gets closer. Akira tries to keep up, but before long she’s aching and out of breath. She stumbles on a bit of uneven floor, almost falling, and Morgana stops.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You idiot! You’re leaving her in your dust!” Morgana jumps and waves their arms indignantly, before running back to her. “Are you okay, Lady Akira?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m fine…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Morgana glances around. “Quick, in here! Grab the keys!” They point to a cell with a table in it, and Akira moves toward it. Sakamoto unlocks the cell, and they close the door behind them and hide under the table, holding their breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It isn’t long before a group of suits rush past. They stop right before the cell, making Sakamoto gasp quietly. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Split up. Find them, and exterminate the boy. You know what to do with the handmaiden,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” one of them, evidently the leader says. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You, stay here and keep watch.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Crap,” Sakamoto says under his breath. The suits split up as directed, but the smallest one stays, glancing about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This might work…” Morgana glances at Akira. “Lady Akira, you have a Persona, don’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“…What’s a Persona?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zorro tells me yours is named Lilith. That ring any bells?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah.” Akira glances at the guard nervously. “But I don’t know how to summon that power…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your powers are unstable, but they should kick in when you face a Shadow. That thing,” they say, pointing at the guard when Akira tilts her head. “I’ll ambush it, then you rush in, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Morgana dashes out, little paws padding near-silently on the stone floor, then leaps, landing on the Shadow’s shoulder and grabbing its mask. “Show me your true self!” they yell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Shadow dissolves into black liquid, which then forms into another pumpkin demon. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Eeek! Where’d you come from?!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” it shrieks, before turning to face Akira, who’s advancing on it, feeling much more energized as she shifts into her other outfit. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll show you! We have no tolerance for sneaks like you in King Kamoshida’s castle!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira growls at the words ‘King Kamoshida’. She’s just </span>
  <em>
    <span>so sick</span>
  </em>
  <span> of him. “Freeze them, Lilith!” she cries, ripping her mask off. This time, a spike of ice shoots out of the ground, spearing the demon before shattering both into fragments.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa…” Morgana looked up at Akira appreciatively. “Your Persona is a real powerhouse, Lady Akira!” They bow to her deeply. “Not to mention, your will of rebellion is </span>
  <em>
    <span>absolutely gorgeous!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira looks down at herself, then “eep”s again as she shifts back to her school uniform. “W-what does that mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That form you shift into in battle! It’s a manifestation of your will of rebellion!” Morgana puts a paw to their chin. “Though, usually you should stay in that form the whole time you’re in the Metaverse…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We really oughta’ get goin’,” Sakamoto interrupts. “I dunno what’s goin’ on, but I don’t wanna find out what happens if they catch us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the first smart thing you’ve said, Blondie,” Morgana sighs. “You’re right, though. No time for explanations.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t call me Blondie!” Sakamoto snaps. “My name’s Ryuji!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever!” Morgana jumps and waves their arms again. “We have to get out of here!” They dash off, a bit slower than before, obviously trying to be conscious of Akira’s pace. Ryuji (was that his given name, and Sakamoto his family name?) runs after them, and Akira trails behind, trying to keep an eye out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They pass by a boy in a cell, wearing a red uniform. Akira stops, feeling bad for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm? What is it, my lady?” Morgana turns to face her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This boy…” It clicks. “He’s wearing a Shujin gym uniform.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shujin? What’s that?” The cat-being tilts their head. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter! You’re such a kind girl, Lady Akira, so I know you probably want to save him, but these guys in the cells aren’t real.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-what does that mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Palaces are based on their Ruler’s cognition. You… do know what a Palace is, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We just ended up here on accident!” Ryuji growls. “We don’t know what the hell is goin’ on!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Morgana puts their paws to their face. “Aargh, I’ll explain later, there’s no time! Just trust me when I say these guys aren’t real!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if on cue, Akira hears the telltale muffled clanking of an approaching guard, and turns to face where it’s coming from. “Watch out!” she squeaks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Morgana runs to her side, pulling a disproportionate curved blade out of nowhere. “Get ready to fight!” they say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Intruders!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” the guard yells as it sees them. It dissolves itself, turning into a near-swarm of small, flying fairy-like women. They start saying things; mostly mockeries and insults as far as Akira can tell, but they all bleed together and make it impossible to understand any of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zorro! Help me out!” Morgana places a paw on their face, and a muscley, masked figure flows out of them, stepping behind the cat-being. It makes a Z-shape with its rapier, and a blade of green wind shoots forth, cutting into several of the fairies and knocking them down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You can’t treat a girl this way!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” one of them screams. She thrusts a hand forward and a smaller blade of wind hurtles towards Morgana, but they dodge it with ease. Another fairy, one that hadn’t been knocked down, clasps her hands in front of her, and a warm glow suffuses the entire swarm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve gotta be kidding me! That one knows Media?!” Morgana hops over to Akira, who’s transformed by now. “Target that one; it’s higher level than the others and knows a healing skill that’ll make it hard to get them all!” Akira nods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She leaps at the one Morgana indicated, her knife in her hand, but a fairy body-tackles her away from the lead demon. Morgana tries as well with similar luck. “They’re protecting her…” Akira mutters.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>I can help you here,</b>
  <span> Lilith whispers to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Tell me what to do,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Akira replies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The words come easily, as if Lilith guides her mind. “Lilith! Lullaby!” Lilith flows out of her, then a blue cloud flows into the swarm of fairies. Many of them drop like flies, flitting down to the floor and falling asleep. A few more stay awake, but most importantly, the leader gets caught in Lilith’s spell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice work, Lady Akira!” Morgana bounces about excitedly. “I’ll take it from here! Zorro! Garu!” A small green vortex appears around the powerful fairy, practically crushing her into fragments of shadow. “Now we can take them down one at a time! Get the still-awake ones first!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Together, Morgana and Akira make relatively short work of the remaining fairies. A few of them start to wake up before they’re done, but they’re still sleepy and disconcerted, so they pose little threat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, that’s that settled,” Morgana says, their sword disappearing into thin air. They turn to Ryuji, paws on their hips. “What’s wrong? Too stunned to say anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just tryin’ to process all this,” he grumbles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same difference.” Morgana waves their paw at Akira. “Let’s get going again!”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Morgana expertly guides them out of the dungeons and through the entrance hall, stopping at a corridor branching off of it. “This is it,” they say. “We’re here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finally! We’re saved!” Ryuji grabs the handle of one of the doors nearby. “Ugh… It’s not openin’! Did you trick us, you monster cat?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a cat!” Morgana shakes their head, growling. “And don’t jump to conclusions! Over here!” Morgana pushes open a different door, one that was already ajar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“H-hey, wait up!” Ryuji follows them into the room, Akira coming along silently. “Where are we supposed to get out from </span>
  <em>
    <span>here?</span>
  </em>
  <span> There aren’t even any windows!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, amateur…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akira takes in the room at a glance. “The ventilation shaft…” she mumbles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s correct, Lady Akira!” Morgana bows to her again. “As I thought, you’re a natural at this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I getcha,” Ryuji says, nodding. “Then we just gotta get that grate off!” He climbs up the bookshelf by the shafts, and tugs at the grate. “And a one… and a- whoa!” He falls off the shelf as the grate suddenly gives way, and Akira squeaks in dismay, then runs over to help him up. “Oww… Crap, did those guards hear us?” He groans and holds his side, then grins at her. “But hey, we’re finally gettin’ outta here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should wait on celebrating until you actually get out,” Morgana points out. “Now get going!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuji looks away, seeming almost embarrassed to Akira. “But… what about you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still have things I need to do,” Morgana says, sounding regretful. “We’ll be going our separate ways, now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Morgana looks so sad, but they’re obviously trying to hide it,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Akira thinks. Struck by a whim, she crouches down and pats them on the head. “Thank you, Morgana-san.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Morgana’s eyes go comically wide. “A-ah, thank you, m-my lady!” They bow so deeply they nearly fall over, and despite herself, Akira giggles. “J-just get going before they catch us!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, Morgana-san,” Akira replies. “Um… see you later.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuji jumps up the bookshelf again easily, but Akira needs his help to climb up; partially because she’s short, partially because she’s not nearly as strong as he is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they climb into the shaft, Morgana watches them disappear. “Those two seem useful…” they murmur to themself. “Especially Lady Akira… Stay safe, you two.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings:<br/>- Claustrophobia</p><p>I gave Morgana a crush on Akira on complete accident. I am so sorry. Except I'm not really, because after mulling it over it's gonna have some fun stuff happening because of it! Actual fun stuff, not evil fun stuff. Sorry.<br/>In case you're curious, Akira is short enough that Futaba can stand on her tiptoes and be <i>ever so slightly</i> taller than her. Yes, this will happen at some point. It will be adorable.<br/>Last but not least! I heard at least one of my commentators was interested in seeing my Thief design for Akira, and I am happy to deliver! https://imgur.com/GuEQVwg Just pop that in your address bar, you know how it goes. Warning, it's a scan of a non-colored pencil drawing on paper... plus I'm pretty bad at erasing. x_x</p><p>Original post date: 2021-03-26.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Your Rehabilitation Begins</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As usual, warnings are in the end notes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the two of them walk through the alleyway they came through, they both stumble, before looking back to see Shujin Academy, normal as can be. A voice comes from Akira’s phone: “You have returned to the real world. Welcome back.”</p><p>“What the hell?” Ryuji yelps. “That don’t make any sense!”</p><p>Akira ponders quietly. “I think… this is where we entered that other world… I think Morgana-san called it the Metaverse?”</p><p>“Other world?!” Ryuji rubs the back of his head. “Damn, this is all too crazy… And on a Monday, too…”</p><p>Akira's heart leaps into her throat. <em> Monday. School. How late are we?! </em> She pulls out her phone and whimpers at the time; it must be fourth period right now.</p><p>A wave of exhaustion overtakes her, and she crouches down, rocking on her feet. She hears Ryuji say, “Holy crap, are you alright, dude?” but she can’t respond; the words won’t come. She’s just too tired to connect meaning to sound… </p><p>Footsteps approach, and Akira looks up fearfully, letting out a gasp when she sees two police officers approaching her. Ryuji turns to them, and Akira can already tell this is going to go badly.</p><p>“What’s going on here? Are you students of Shujin?” One of the officers crosses his arms at them. “Cutting classes, are we?”</p><p>“Huh? No!” Ryuji shakes his head. “We were tryin’ to get to school, and we ended up at this weird castle!”</p><p>“Excuse me?” The officer’s eyes trail from Ryuji to Akira, and Akira looks away. “Who’s this? Why’s she hunched down like that?”</p><p>“I-I dunno!” Ryuji is clearly panicking. Akira tries to speak again; again, the words won’t come. “I was helpin’ her get to school when she just got all faint!”</p><p>“Uh-huh.” The officers aren’t buying it. “Hand over your bags, both of you. You’d better not be doing any drugs.”</p><p>“Why would you think that?!”</p><p>The officer turns to Akira again. “Are you his girlfriend or something?”</p><p>Akira opens and closes her mouth, but she can’t get a word out.</p><p>“Sh-she’s not my girlfriend!” Ryuji protests. “It’s her first day here, I was helpin’ her get to school!”</p><p>“Then that’s what you should do. Shujin Academy is straight through there.” The officer points to the school. “As you can see, there’s nothing out of the ordinary.”</p><p>“But there <em> was </em>-”</p><p>“If you spout any more nonsense, I’ll contact your school.” At the officer’s words, a cold feeling stabs through Akira’s gut, and it revives her enough to stand up a bit. “Is that what you want?”</p><p>Ryuji looks at her. “C’mon, say something!”</p><p>“…I don’t want to be late,” Akira mumbles, only barely above a breath. She turns away from them and heads to the school.</p><p>“Are you for real?” she hears Ryuji say, and she winces, but keeps walking. “Argh! Fine! I’m going!” He runs up to her, too close, and she moves away without thinking.</p><p>When they get to the school, Ryuji stares up at it like he still can’t believe it. “Is this for real?” he says, tilting his head like he might see it at a different angle. “We just came from here… What’s goin’ on here?”</p><p>“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you.”</p><p>Akira looks down at her feet, shuffling slightly, not wanting to look the teacher in the eyes. “We received a call from the police,” he says.</p><p>“That damn cop snitched on us after all…!” Ryuji mutters. </p><p>“It’s rare not to see you alone, Sakamoto-kun.” the teacher continues. “Where were you roaming around until this time?” Akira feels his eyes on her. “That girl… Isn’t she…”</p><p>“What’s going on here?” Akira’s heart plummets, and she stares up, wide-eyed, as Kamoshida walks out of the school, a fake smile plastered on his face.</p><p>Ryuji seems to have a similar reaction. “Kamoshida?!”</p><p>“You seem so carefree, Sakamoto,” Kamoshida continues, still smiling that smile that makes Akira’s skin crawl. “Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team. How far the rising star has fallen…”</p><p>“Shuddup!” Ryuji snarls. “It’s <em> your </em> fault that-”</p><p>“How dare you speak that way to Kamoshida-sensei!” the other teacher snaps at Ryuji, then sighs. “There’s not much leeway left for you, you know?”</p><p>“He’s the one that provoked me!”</p><p>“Do you really want to be expelled?!” The teacher glares at Ryuji in a way that makes Akira’s stomach twist.</p><p>“What?! This is bullshit!” Ryuji stomps angrily.</p><p>“Come now,” Kamoshida interrupts, his voice oozing with false sincerity. “I should have been more considerate, too. Let’s just say that we were both to blame, hm?”</p><p>“Well, if you say so, Kamoshida-sensei…” The other teacher rubs his forehead and sighs. “Still, you’re coming with me. It’s undeniable that you’re extremely late.”</p><p>“Fine…” Ryuji squares his shoulders and walks into the school with the teacher, leaving Akira and Kamoshida alone.</p><p>Akira trembles as Kamoshida sizes her up. “You’re that new transfer student, right?” He smiles his fake smile at her. “Kurusu Akira?”</p><p><em> Get my name out of your mouth, </em> something snarls inside Akira’s mind; almost intrusively, but it feels… good. She doesn’t say anything.</p><p>“Hmm… Have we met somewhere?” Akira’s heart leaps into her throat again because of <em> course </em> he would remember that. The Kamoshida from the other world may not be the same, but he <em> did </em> pass her by in his car. She still doesn’t say anything.</p><p>“Ah, I remember now. You turned down my gracious offer for a ride.” He walks down the steps to her, and Akira takes a step back involuntarily. “I’m sure the principal has told you, but cause any trouble and you’ll be expelled.” He moves closer to her, and Akira’s sure he’s going to <em> take her hand, guide her back to his office, lock the door, </em>but instead he just says, “If you have any problems adjusting to life in this new school… my door is always open.”</p><p>And then he returns to the school, leaving her shaking like a leaf in the wind.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akira heads to the faculty office silently, checking the school map she’d downloaded from the website. She shuts the door behind herself, and the sound causes Kawakami to turn to her, sighing.</p><p>“Unbelievable…” Her tired eyes look Akira up and down, taking in her disheveled clothes and messy hair. “Being over half a day late on your first day? Care to explain yourself?”</p><p>“I got lost…” Akira mumbles.</p><p>“How could you have been lost for <em> this long </em> ? It’s almost lunchtime.” Akira notes that her voice doesn’t raise in pitch where it should; it sounds tired, and more than done with everything. She thinks that this teacher is interesting; then she gets an image of her peering down at Kawakami like a puzzle to be solved, before she rejects <em> that </em> thought. <em> I am not going to pry into this woman’s personal affairs. </em> </p><p>“Well, it’s probably true that you aren’t used to the area yet, I suppose…” Kawakami continues, and Akira shifts back to paying attention. “But you’re still <em> way </em>too late. More importantly, I heard you got caught hanging out with that Sakamoto-kun.”</p><p><em> ‘That’ Sakamoto-kun? Is there more than one? …No, he’s probably just infamous. </em> “Is… there some reason why I shouldn’t be hanging out with Sakamoto-san?”</p><p>“Well…” Kawakami looks at Akira with suddenly intense eyes. “Considering your record, we can’t exactly overlook you in suspicious circumstances with boys, especially not boys like Sakamoto-kun.” </p><p><em> That’s ominous. </em> “I’ll try to keep that in mind, Kawakami-sensei,” Akira replies softly.</p><p>“Good. Anyway, break time’s almost over.” Kawakami stands up from her desk. “Classes will end after fifth period today because of the subway accident yesterday. I’ll have you introduce yourself when class resumes. Fifth period is homeroom today anyway, so…” She trails off, looking at the dirt on Akira’s legs. <em> Shit. </em></p><p>To Akira’s surprise, however, she looks back at her face. “Follow me.”</p><p>Kawakami stops outside the door, one Akira recognizes as being her homeroom, 2-D. The teacher turns back to Akira, and says, “One last thing: When you introduce yourself, be serious about it, even if you’re lying, alright? Do <em> not </em> say anything unnecessary.” Kawakami’s eyes flick downwards, and Akira knows exactly what she’s talking about.</p><p>Akira does her best to portray herself as shy and meek, which is helped by the fact that she feels pretty shy right now. Immediately, she hears whispering, and decides to try to pick out some conversations.</p><p>“So late on her first day… She must be insane…”</p><p>“She looks so little… could she really hurt a grown man?”</p><p>“I heard she’s a prostitute.  D’you think I could score with her?”</p><p>“She’s all dirty… she must have no respect for school.”</p><p><em> Great. </em> Not only was she late as hell, someone must have caught wind of her record and spread it across the school. <em> Just my luck. </em></p><p>Kawakami sighs. “Settle down, everyone. I’d like to introduce our new transfer student: Kurusu Akira. Today, we… had her attend from the afternoon on, since she wasn’t feeling well.” She looks at Akira expectantly.</p><p>“Um… nice to meet you all,” she mumbles. <em> No matter how many times I change schools, I’ll never get used to this. </em></p><p>Immediately, the whispers start again.</p><p>“She seems quiet… but I bet when she loses it…”</p><p>“Being sick is such a bogus excuse. I bet she was doing a ‘job’, and the school just doesn’t want to admit it.”</p><p>“She looks so docile… bet she’d do anything you told her to.”</p><p>Kawakami sighs again. “Your seat will be… over there, behind Takamaki-san.” She points to a seat near the window, at the back corner. “Sorry, but can the people nearby share their textbooks with her for today?”</p><p>There’s a groan from the brown-haired girl next to her assigned seat. Akira passes by the girl Kawakami called Takamaki, only to stop and stare when she realizes that <em> she’s the girl who got in the car with Kamoshida. </em></p><p>“…Lies,” the girl hisses through her teeth when she catches Akira staring.</p><p>Akira realizes she’s been stopped for too long and heads to her seat. The light from the window shines off of the desks, making it a bit hard to see the chalkboard, but at least she doesn’t have anyone staring at her back. More whispering starts up, and Akira hears a conversation between two girls near her seat.</p><p>“Did you see that? Do those two know each other? Maybe they’re both in the business…”</p><p>“That would mean she’s cheating on Kamoshida-sensei, though! Then again, this is Takamaki-san we’re talking about…”</p><p>“That side of the room must stink to high heaven.”</p><p>Kawakami clears her throat, and most of the students get quiet. “The volleyball rally’s in two days… We’re still early in the school year, so make sure you use that time to get to know each other.” She sighs yet again and pulls out a book. “Let’s get class started, then… Who’s on duty today?”</p><p>Akira sees a dark-haired student with bandages on his face stand up. “Everyone, please rise…”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> Fifth period is a mockery of class; everyone is far too busy spreading rumors about the new prostitute transfer student to pay much attention. Kawakami can barely control the room; it’s rather sad, Akira thinks. </p><p>
  <em> Whatever. I’ve had worse schools. I just need to get through this year, like always. </em>
</p><p>Akira walks slowly out of the classroom, waiting for most of the crowd to leave before following at a distance. Her head throbs, and she winces, opening her eyes to see the corridor of the castle from before in front of her… before it fades back into the school hallway.</p><p>Kawakami sees her holding her head. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“I… I thought…” Akira drops her hand, feeling another wave of exhaustion roll over her. She sways slightly on her feet. “Sorry, I’m okay.”</p><p>Kawakami tuts. “Clearly you aren’t. Go home and get some rest, alright?”</p><p>“S-sure…”</p><p>“If you turn psychotic, go see the counselor before you kill anyone, alright?” She laughs dryly at what’s obviously meant to be a joke, but Akira just looks at the floor.</p><p>“Um… I’ll be sure to do that.”</p><p>“Geez… You don’t have to take everything so seriously.” Kawakami rubs the back of her head. “It seems like people are already spreading rumors, huh? Well, I’m not the one who told them.”</p><p>She sighs again. Akira is getting kind of tired of it. Kawakami mumbles something under her breath that Akira tries to tune out, but she still hears, “…can’t catch a break…” then Kawakami looks back up at her. “You should head straight home without stopping anywhere. Your guardian sounded pretty angry.”</p><p>Akira feels her pulse quicken at the thought.</p><p>“One last thing… Don’t get involved with-”</p><p>Akira hears footsteps behind her and turns to see Ryuji. “Speak of the devil…” Kawakami says, not even bothering to hide it with a mumble. “What do you want, Sakamoto-kun? I heard the police caught you cutting classes.”</p><p>Ryuji looks away, thumbs in his pants pockets. “…It was nothin’.”</p><p>“And you haven’t dyed your hair back to black, either…”</p><p>“Sorry ‘bout that.” <em> He clearly is anything but sorry. </em> Ryuji walks towards Akira, and she starts, but he only gets close enough to murmur, “I’ll be waitin’ on the rooftop.”</p><p><em> Wow. Ten points. Has he not heard the rumors? </em> Akira says nothing as he leaves, and Kawakami groans. “You better stay away from him, understand? Especially if you’re doing… that.”</p><p>“I-I’m not,” Akira stammers. “Sakamoto-kun was just helping me find my way to school this morning.”</p><p>“Hm.” Kawakami heads back into the classroom. Akira can tell when she’s not wanted.</p><p>She considers taking Ryuji up on his offer for about a second. Then she heads home.</p><p>
  <em> Even if he is a good guy… I can’t be seen with him, or…  </em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Sojiro is waiting for her when he hears the ring of the cafe door, and puts his newspaper down to face a thoroughly humbled-looking Akira.</p><p>“Got a call from your school,” he says sternly. “Said you ditched half a day of your first day of school.”</p><p>Akira is silent, like she’s thinking over what to say. “…I’m sorry,” she says at last.</p><p>“Geez, that’s all you have to say?” Sojiro wants to be stern with her, but she looks so helpless, her clothes and hair messed up, dirt on her knees… uh oh. “What the hell were you doing while cutting classes?”</p><p>“…I got lost.”</p><p>Sojiro doesn’t buy it for a second, but while she doesn’t meet his eyes, it’s not in a lying sort of way… it’s more like… He sighs. “Listen, just… behave yourself, alright? You know what probation means, right? One wrong step and your life is over.”</p><p>Akira’s lips move, and it surprises him; he didn’t think she was the kind to <em> have </em>comments to bite back. “…I understand, Boss,” she says at last.</p><p>Sakura’s phone rings, and he picks it up instantly, surprising Akira. She makes a mental note that the ringtone isn’t the default. “Hey, what’s up?” he says, turning away from her. “Ah… yeah, I can close up shop. I’ll be right over.” He takes the phone from his ear and places his hand over it. “I’m leaving, but you’re to stay here until the morning, alright? I’m locking up.” He grabs a keyring from his pocket, takes his hat off the stand, and just like that, he’s gone. Akira’s shocked at how suddenly he dropped everything, but she’s more shocked at how lightly she got off.</p><p>She’s alone in the cafe again, so she takes a shower and changes into more comfortable clothes, and the moment she hits her bed her exhaustion catches up to her. She tries her best to stay awake, knowing if she falls asleep now she’ll get all out of whack, but sleep creeps up on her, tugging at the corners of her mind until she can no longer resist.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Wake up, Inmate!”</p><p>Akira jolts awake, an all-too familiar clanging breaking into dreams ranging from mildly upsetting to outright nightmares. She takes in blue walls and the state of her clothes, and realizes she’s back in the so-called Velvet Room.</p><p>“You really ought to be more alert,” comes Justine’s voice. “A Trickster must always be vigilant.”</p><p>“I’m sure you can forgive her this once, girls,” Igor says. “Awakening to a power like that takes its toll.”</p><p>“Hmph. As you say.” Caroline glares at Akira, her golden eyes <em> (golden, like the other Kamoshida’s?) </em> burning into her, before she turns on her heel to face Igor again.</p><p>“As I said, you’ve awakened to strange new powers,” Igor continues, <em> his </em>pupils disproportionate and black as night. “With them, your rehabilitation can begin.”</p><p>Akira says nothing, meeting his cold, calculated gaze with her own. Igor simply chuckles. “You must be terribly confused… There is no need to understand it all at once, however.” He taps his fingers on the table in front of him, and Akira watches them instead of looking into his eyes. “You will be training in the power of Persona - the power you have awakened to. Are you familiar with the concept?”</p><p>Akira nods. “It’s an older form of psychology,” she mumbles. “Based on the idea of having masks, which we switch through, based on the situation.”</p><p>“Very good, very good. I see that you have not neglected your studies.” Igor smiles at her again. “The manifestation of your Persona - Lilith, in your case - is much like that. I have high expectations of you.”</p><p>Akira is silent. “You have no choice but to hone your strength,” Justine says after a pause. “It’s not because we are forcing you, but because this is your fate… Neglect it, and you will die.”</p><p>“Will I be the only one?”</p><p>Igor chuckles. “I did say our meetings concern the fate of the world, did I not?”</p><p>Akira feels Lilith coil inside of her, and she hisses, “That’s not an answer.”</p><p>Igor, as usual, evades her smoothly. “Have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator?”</p><p><em> Metaverse… Navigator… </em> “You mean the MetaNav?”</p><p>“Correct. Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and the Metaverse.”</p><p>“Morgana-san mentioned the Metaverse…” Akira looks him in the eyes again, trying to be firm. “Is that the world we were in?”</p><p>“Something like that,” Igor says with his usual smirk. “I bestowed the Metaverse Navigator upon you in order to train you as a thief.”</p><p>“The Metaverse Navigator is a gift from our master, Inmate!” Caroline says in a scolding tone. “You had better take real good care of it!”</p><p>“Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief,” Justine adds.</p><p>Igor chuckles again. “It must be disheartening to make use of the Metaverse Navigator alone. Should there be others who wish to join you, I will grant it to them as well.” His eyes pierce hers, and Akira drops her gaze again. “This is all for you to grow as a most excellent thief…”</p><p>The prison bell rings again, more quietly this time. “Hmph, it’s time. Go back and enjoy your rest, Inmate,” Caroline commands, and again, Akira’s vision fades into darkness.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings:<br/>- POV autistic person going nonverbal<br/>- Implications of past CSA<br/>- Assumptions of underage sex work</p><p>How obvious is it that Akira has not had a happy past? I hope it's obvious without being too obvious, if that makes sense.<br/>Poor Ryuji, he got stood up. You can't exactly blame Akira, though. Especially when she's smart enough to know what everyone is thinking of her already.<br/>Again, not having fun writing Kamoshida. Unfortunately for all of us, it's only going to get worse from here on out- and I'm not just talking about Shiho, y'know? Actually, you probably don't know, considering that I haven't posted it yet, aha.<br/>Last but not least: I have literally no plans for an update schedule. Even when I'm not writing the next chapter, I'm writing future scenes or side stories or even things that have no relation to this AU, though most of it does tend to be like, AUs of this AU, aha. So I'm keeping in practice, which is my main goal over anything else. I was really uninspired and lazy most days a month or two ago until I started taking new medicine, and I want to take advantage of my inspiration before it fades. But hopefully that won't be the case, since y'know, medicine. Gotta love having to take drugs to function like a normal human being.</p><p>Original post date: 2021-03-29.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As usual, warnings are in the end notes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Akira wakes up at about six in the afternoon, likely due to her stomach grumbling. She ponders the meaning of her strange dream as she makes herself dinner, and decides to open the MetaNav again. She opens the help function again, and tries to get more information.</p><p>KA: What does MetaNav stand for?</p><p>PA: Metaverse Navigator.</p><p>KA: Who is the creator of this app?</p><p>PA: You know him as Igor.</p><p>KA: Why does the app know that the upstairs of Leblanc is my room?</p><p>PA: It functions on cognition. You, among others, are cognitively aware that the upstairs of Leblanc is your room. Therefore, the app shows it as being your room.</p><p>KA: What if people have conflicting cognitions of a place?</p><p>PA: Then the app shows it depending on which cognition is the same amongst most people, or is the strongest overall.</p><p>KA: What is a Palace?</p><p>PA: That information cannot be acquired.</p><p><em> Well, I was bound to run out of luck at some point. </em> Akira rubs her eyes and yawns. She <em> still </em> feels tired, somehow, so she heads back up to her room, reading on her phone while she waits for sleep.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>On the train to school, Akira’s gaze is caught by a cute, red-haired first year, sitting on the seat in front of her.</p><p>The redhead looks up to see an elderly woman in front of her, and promptly offers her her seat. “Please, take my seat,” she says cheerfully. “My station’s coming up.”</p><p>“Are ya sure?” the woman replies. “Well, then…”</p><p>The student gets up for her, but the seat is promptly taken by a middle-aged man, and Akira gasps as he brushes past her without care. “Wow, what speed!” Red Hair says, a hint of suppressed anger in her tone. “I mean… Excuse me, that seat was for this lady…”</p><p>The man ignores her, pretending to have fallen asleep. “Oh…” Red Hair sighs in disappointment.</p><p>Akira feels Lilith stir inside her, and she mutters, “Want me to wake him up?”</p><p>Red Hair shakes her head. “It’s alright… I can understand his position as well.” She turns to the elderly woman and bows her head. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.”</p><p>“It’s alright, dearie. Don’t you worry.”</p><p>“Please allow me to carry your luggage, at least,” Red Hair insists.</p><p>“Thank you! It’s mighty heavy, though…”</p><p>“It’s fine! I train plenty.”</p><p>Akira looks over her curiously, and can see hints of slight muscle definition in her covered arms, but she looks more lithe and light then someone who trains exclusively for muscle. <em> Maybe she’s a gymnast? She has that build, though she’s kind of tall for it…  </em></p><p>When Akira gets off the train, someone approaches her from behind, and she turns only to see Red Hair again. “Ah! Pardon me, I didn’t mean to startle you.”</p><p>“It’s alright…” Akira nervously checks the time on her phone. <em> I should have time for whatever she wants and still get there early. </em></p><p>“Thank you so much for earlier,” Red Hair says, bowing. Akira blushes slightly; she’s not used to people being so polite to her… plus this girl is cute. <em> No no no, don’t think about that, just be polite. </em></p><p>“W-with what?” Akira asks.</p><p>“For what you did on the train- speaking up for that older woman.” Red Hair smiles at her, and Akira swallows nervously. “You’re a second-year at Shujin Academy, right? I’m a first year myself. Thanking you totally slipped my mind earlier, and I didn’t want to be rude to my senpai.”</p><p>“You don’t have to call me senpai,” Akira murmurs. “I’m probably the same age as you. I skipped a year.”</p><p>“Oh! No, that’s even more impressive!” Red Hair bows her head again. “I… have a lot of expectations myself, so maybe we have something in common? What’s your name?”</p><p>“Um…” Akira weighs the options in her mind. Not telling her her name would be rude, but… “I’m Kurusu Akira. What’s your name?”</p><p>“I’m Yoshizawa Kasumi!” Yoshizawa bows her head again. “Well, we had better get to school! I need to be early, so I’ll see you later!” She dashes off with a mix of speed and grace that impresses Akira.</p><p>Akira gets to school a little early as planned, and heads to the faculty office to pick up her textbooks. She gets into her classroom and starts pouring through her Social Studies textbook, when the bell rings, and classes start.</p><p>The day is pretty normal; she answers some questions, getting one wrong on purpose as usual. Ushimaru tuts at her, but otherwise ignores the supposed blunder. When classes let out, Akira is considering finding Ryuji and apologizing for ditching him when she hears an all-too familiar voice say, “Hey there, Takamaki-chan.”</p><p>Akira stops in place, too frightened to move, but her mind seizes on what they’re discussing like a lifeline. She hears Kamoshida say, “Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents.”</p><p>“Sorry, I have a photoshoot today,” Takamaki replies, her voice overly cheerful, though Akira can hear the shaking. “It’s for the, special summer issue, so I can’t afford to miss it…”</p><p>“Hey, now, being a model’s fine and dandy, but don’t work your pretty little self to the bone.” At Kamoshida’s words, Lilith coils inside her, hissing, but even that’s not enough to break Akira out of her frozen-statue-mode. “You mentioned you weren’t feeling well, right? Something about… appendicitis?”</p><p>“Y-yeah, I keep planning to go to the hospital, but I’ve been too busy… Sorry to worry you!”</p><p>“You must be lonely, too. I feel bad for keeping your <em> best friend </em> at practice so often.” <em> The way he put pressure on that… there must be a story there. </em> “Oh, and… be careful around that transfer student.” Kamoshida’s voice drops lower, like it’s a secret, but Akira can hear it plain as day, even though her mind is screaming at her to <em> get out of there. </em> “She’s got a pretty nasty record… Wouldn’t want you swept up in any of that business.”</p><p>“Th-thank you…” Takamaki says, her cheerfulness lapsing. “Please excuse me…”</p><p>Kamoshida watches her leave, then shakes his head and takes the stairs. <em> Thank God he didn’t see me. </em></p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akira spends half an hour looking for Ryuji in the school, but just when she’s given up and starts to go home, she finds him waiting outside the gates. “H-hello, Sakamoto-san,” she murmurs.</p><p>“I was waitin’ for you… An’ call me Ryuji.” He rubs the back of his head. “What was up yesterday? You totally ditched me.”</p><p>“I-I’m sorry!” Akira bows deeply without thinking. “Kawakami-sensei told me to go straight home, and…”</p><p>“Ohhh.” Ryuji shakes his head. “I getcha. Sorry about that, I shoulda thought of that earlier…” The implications hang between them, heavy and thick. </p><p>“I-I’m Kurusu Akira,” Akira mumbles.</p><p>“Oh, yeah, you said that to… what was their name?”</p><p>“Morgana-san.”</p><p>“Right. Anyway, I wanted to say… I kept thinkin’ about that castle from yesterday.” Ryuji sighs and kicks at the ground slightly. “I tried tellin’ myself it was all a dream… but I couldn’t do it.”</p><p>Akira nods. “Me neither…”</p><p>“We can’t just act like nothin’ happened. It’s all connected to that bastard Kamoshida, after all.” Ryuji kicks at the ground, scuffing his shoe slightly. “I wanna find out what’s up with that place, no matter what. And y’know, you’re probably the only one who would believe me… plus you seem pretty reliable.” He gives Akira a grin that makes her heart flutter happily. “So… you in?”</p><p>“…I do want to find out what happened,” Akira murmurs.</p><p>“Nice! Alright, glad we’re in this together.” Ryuji stretches, then grins at her again. “I think we should retrace our steps from yesterday. How about that?”</p><p>“Sounds as good a plan as any…”</p><p>“What does that mean?” He cocks his head at her, and Akira can’t help but let a little giggle escape. “Are you laughin’ at me?”</p><p>“Ah… Sorry, you just looked so silly…” Akira smiles at him, her first real smile in… she didn’t want to think about how long.</p><p>He looks at her a little wide-eyed, then coughs and looks away. “Um, anyway… you come here from the same station I do, right? You know, the one over there?” He points in the direction of the station, and Akira nods. “Let’s head back over there and retrace our steps from there.”</p><p>When they walk towards the school through the alleyway again, nothing happens. “Huh? We’re… at the school…” Ryuji turns to Akira, rubbing his head. “There wasn’t anything out of place along the way, right? I didn’t see no castle, either… We must have made a wrong turn somewhere.”</p><p>Akira is silent, until she pulls out her phone. “…I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” she mumbles. After a few taps, she shows Ryuji her phone, with an entry labeled, <em> Kamoshida, Shujin, castle. </em> “This app… I had a dream…”</p><p>“A dream? You’re not pullin’ my leg?” Ryuji looks at Akira, and she shakes her head after a moment. “What the hell… Try tapping it. It’s better than goin’ around again.” </p><p>Akira takes her phone back and taps the screen. A voice comes from her phone; “Accessing bookmarked destination: Kamoshida, Shujin, castle… Beginning navigation.”</p><p>A pulse of brief pain goes through Ryuji’s head, and he groans, holding it. Akira barely reacts, only wincing. More importantly, the sky darkens, and the school shifts into the same castle they’d seen before, right in front of them.</p><p>“Look! It’s the castle from yesterday!” Ryuji says, pointing.</p><p>“…Look at that,” Akira mumbles. “All the students and other people around us… they’ve vanished.”</p><p>“Holy crap… you’re right.” Ryuji looks back at Akira and starts. “Whoa! Those clothes again!”</p><p>Akira looks down at herself, her eyes widening. Her right hand goes to her neck, where there was a golden snake-shaped necklace. “U-uh…”</p><p>“That happened last time too, huh?” Ryuji looks her up and down. “What’s up with that outfit?”</p><p>“What’s wrong with my outfit?” Akira doesn’t say it angrily; she says it like she’s just curious.</p><p>“N-nothin’! Although it does, um… N-never mind!” Ryuji looks away, blushing and cursing internally. <em> Don’t gawk like a damn perv! Idiot! </em>“Anyway, what the hell’s goin’ on?! We just opened that app, and-”</p><p>“Hey!” A familiar, child-like voice comes from behind them. “Quit making a commotion!”</p><p>The cat thing from before walks up to them, then places their paws on their hips. “The Shadows started acting up, so I came here to check it out. Why’re you so noisy, Blondie?”</p><p>“It’s Ryuji, dumbass!”</p><p>“Be quiet,” Akira mutters, but it’s said with enough power that both of them go silent immediately. “Morgana-san… This place is the school, isn’t it?”</p><p>“That’s correct, Lady Akira!” Morgana says, nodding. “This place is a Palace, the formation of someone’s distorted desires, whose Shadow - the version of them in this world - then becomes the Palace ruler. Well, in most cases, anyway.”</p><p>“So… Kamoshida thinks of this place as a castle… <em> his </em> castle, to be precise.” Akira looks up at the castle before them with a grim look in her eyes, and Ryuji swallows. <em> You’d never think it, but this girl must be made of iron. </em></p><p>A scream from inside the castle interrupts their conversation. Akira jolts, and Ryuji stares, wide-eyed, at the castle. “What was that?!” he yelps.</p><p>“That must be the slaves captive here,” Morgana mutters.</p><p>“Slaves?!”</p><p>“Like I told you yesterday, they’re not real,” Morgana says with a sigh. “They’re only real in that they’re Kamoshida’s cognition of the equivalents in reality.”</p><p>“What the hell does that mean?!”</p><p>“…I think I get it,” Akira mumbles. “They were wearing Shujin gym uniforms… so they’re probably how he thinks of the volleyball team, taken form in this, ‘Palace’.”</p><p>“That’s exactly correct, my lady!” Morgana says, bowing. <em> I’m getting real tired of how they’re sucking up to Akira. </em> “Freeing them in the Palace will have little to no effect on reality.”</p><p>“So, if he treats ‘em like slaves in this Palace, he’s treatin’ ‘em like slaves in reality, too?” Ryuji asks.</p><p>“More or less.”</p><p>Ryuji growls, feeling anger bubble up uncontrollably. “That son of a bitch…” he snarls. Seized by a familiar indignation, he runs over to the castle door and kicks it, then hisses as it bounces back through his leg. “This is bullshit! You hear me, Kamoshida?!”</p><p>“Doing that isn’t going to open it, you know,” Morgana says, sighing. “…Still, it seems you have your reasons.”</p><p>Ryuji walks back over to the two of them, frustrated. “Hey, Monamona!” He fumbles the pronunciation, but just sighs in annoyance.</p><p>“It’s <em> Morgana </em> ,” Morgana replies, annoyed. “ <em> Mor-gan-a. </em>”</p><p>“Sure, Morgana.” Ryuji rubs his hip, wincing. “D’you know where them voices are comin’ from?”</p><p>“You want me to take you to them?” Morgana tilts their head, then places a paw on their chin. “That would be dangerous… though I suppose, less so if we had Lady Akira with us.”</p><p>“The hell does that mean?”</p><p>“My fair lady over here has a Persona, and a very powerful one at that,” Morgana says proudly. “With a little training, she’ll be a force to be reckoned with!”</p><p>Akira is silent, her face expressionless, though she’s playing with her hair. “…I don’t know,” she says at last.</p><p>Morgana’s eyes go wide. “What?!”</p><p>“It… sounds dangerous,” she mumbles, her voice low and quiet.</p><p>“Are you joking? With your Persona, you’ll tear through Shadows with ease! Even more so with my esteemed tutelage!”</p><p>“I…”</p><p>“I think she don’t wanna run into Kamoshitstain anymore,” Ryuji breaks in. Akira snorts - one of the first times he’d heard anything close to a laugh from her - then blushes slightly, looking away. <em> Oh no. Why do all my friends have to be so cute? </em></p><p><em> Friend, </em> his mind repeats, the concept having gathered dust. <em> Is she a friend? </em></p><p>
  <em> After what we’ve been through already, she sure ain’t an enemy. </em>
</p><p>“It’s fine. If you’re too wimp to go, Morgana, I’ll go by myself.” Akira’s face turns stony, and Ryuji knows he’s made a mistake.</p><p>“No, I’ll go,” Akira says quickly. “We shouldn’t even try to go through the front door, though.”</p><p>“Good thinking, my lady.” Morgana points to the left of the castle door. “Come on, there’s an infiltration point over here.” They hop up onto a barrel and onto the ledge of the vent from there, walking through it easily. </p><p>Before they follow, Ryuji turns to Akira. “Hey, uh… sorry for draggin’ you into all this.”</p><p>Akira is silent, probably thinking, until she says, “It’s alright… I don’t like Kamoshida, either.”</p><p>“Right?! I just can’t forgive that bastard doin’ whatever the hell he wants!” Ryuji rubs the back of his neck. “An’… don’t worry, if he or those other creeps try anything, I’ll rough ‘em up personally.” He gives her a grin, and she smiles back shyly.</p><p>“Thanks…”</p><p>Ryuji goes next, and tries his best to keep his bag from getting stuck so they don’t have a repeat of yesterday. <em> Cute as she is, I don’t want her touchin’ my butt. </em></p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The three of them sneak past enemies, which Morgana calls Shadows, until Morgana stops them. “This is something you should learn about,” they say, pointing to a shimmering door. “Come on in, it’s safe inside.”</p><p>Akira opens the door, and Morgana and Ryuji follow her. Instantly, Akira feels a slight ease when she walks in; like someone whose eyes were following her, was no longer aware of her. She sits down on one of the benches inside, a little tired.</p><p>“Why’s this place so… calmin’?” Ryuji wonders aloud.</p><p>“There’s a lack of distortion here, meaning the Palace ruler’s control over here is weak.” As if on cue, the scenery around them shifts to that of a classroom for a moment, before shifting back to the storage room.</p><p>“Is- is this a classroom?”</p><p>“<em> Now </em> do you understand, Ryuji?” Morgana sighs. “This place is another reality that the ruler’s heart projects, taken form in the Metaverse.”</p><p>Ryuji scowls. “This is Kamoshida’s reality?”</p><p>“Not exactly? One could say it’s a world in which one’s distorted desires have materialized.” Morgana looks right into Ryuji’s eyes. “This is happening because he thinks the school is his own castle.”</p><p>“So, it became like this ‘cause he just… thought of it like that?” Ryuji laughs dryly. “Ha ha… That son of a bitch!”</p><p>Akira jumps as he slams his fist down on the table. “Ggh… Sorry, Akira, was it?”</p><p>“You must really hate this Kamoshida guy,” Morgana comments.</p><p>“Hate doesn’t even <em> cover </em> how I feel,” Ryuji hisses. “ <em> Everything </em> is that asshole’s fault!”</p><p>“I don’t know what happened between you two, but don’t let your emotions get the better of you.” Morgana looks up at both of them sternly. “You’re my protégés now. I won’t let you come to harm.” They turn to Akira, looking up at her even from their spot on the table. “You’re curious about your outfit, aren’t you?”</p><p>“…I suppose I am,” Akira says quietly.</p><p>“Heh, you’re getting used to things quickly, my lady.” Morgana rubs their paws together. “The outfit is also because of this world. Anything inside the Palace distorts according to the ruler’s cognition. Stay here long enough unprotected, and you’ll just become part of the scenery.” Morgana rubs the back of their head. “It… would probably take a long time for that to happen, maybe a day or so, though. Having a Persona represents that you know who you are, and have come to terms with it. That kind of powerful self-acceptance cuts through distortion like a hot knife through butter!”</p><p><em> But, I don’t… </em>Akira squishes the thought like a bug. “Why has it taken this form, specifically?” she asks, her voice soft. “I mean, I like it, but…”</p><p>“That one is simpler.” Morgana nods to themself. “Since we’re renegades in this world, intruders if you will, your outfit, your protection from distortion is based on your idea of a rebel. I’d say… hmm, actually, I can’t interpret your outfit very well.” They purr happily. “I can’t get a read on you, Lady Akira… that kind of powerful mystery is part of what makes you so alluring!”</p><p>“What?!” Ryuji and Akira both say at once, though one is much higher in volume than the other. “Listen here, you stupid cat! Quit pervin’ on my friend!”</p><p><em>Friend?</em> <em>Does he consider me… a friend?</em></p><p>Growls from the other two break into her thoughts. “Ah! Don’t fight!” she squeaks. Ryuji and Morgana look away from each other sheepishly. </p><p>“Whatever. I’m more curious about whatever the hell <em> you </em> are.” Ryuji gestures to Morgana.</p><p>Morgana stands up proudly. “I’m a human, obviously!”</p><p>“No, you’re <em> obviously </em> more like a cat!” Ryuji says, rolling his eyes.</p><p>“This is, well…” Morgana seems to deflate, and Akira feels bad for them. “It’s because I lost my true form. …I think.”</p><p>“You think?”</p><p>“Hmph!” Morgana turns away from Ryuji, tail twitching. </p><p><em> Intervention time. </em>“If you’ve lost your true form, how can we help you regain it?” Akira asks. “You’ve done a lot for us already, after all.”</p><p>“Well… I have a theory.” Morgana turns back to them, tail held low. “The reason why I snuck in here was for a preliminary investigation to confirm it. But, I ended up getting caught…” They puff themself up suddenly. “But I’ve been tortured by Kamoshida too! I’m gonna make him pay for sure!”</p><p>“What is this, a comic book?” Ryuji grumbles. “This is seriously crazy…”</p><p>Morgana looks up to Akira. “We should rest a little before moving on. But you can count on me, Lady Akira!” They salute her, and it’s <em> incredibly </em> adorable.</p><p>“Oh, that reminds me!” Ryuji reaches into his bag. “Where is it… Aha!”</p><p>Akira jumps as he pulls out a gun. “What the heck?” she yelps.</p><p>“It’s just a model!” he assures her. “It makes sounds, though!”</p><p>“That’s a toy!” Morgana protests. “You’re not taking this seriously!”</p><p>“But it looks totally real, so it’ll at least fake ‘em out, right?” Ryuji hands the gun over to Akira. “Oh, I brought some medicine, too. You know what they say: Providin’ is pre… something. Huh? Huh?”</p><p>Morgana shakes their head. “You have strange friends, Lady Akira…”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings:<br/>- Kamoshida being a creep to Ann</p><p>We meet Sumi! I feel like Sumi and Akira would get along even faster than in canon since they have a lot of similarities, even if Sumi is far more outgoing. (I have so many plans for Sumi in this fic, hehe.) Though Akira is crushin' a little, that's pretty regular for her with anyone who's nice to her, lol. Also you can't see Sumi for the first time and not think "holy crap she's cute".<br/>Ryuji is also crushin' a little, hmm? I mean, Akira is super cute, that's just a fact. It's part of how I designed her, that everyone who sees her smile immediately goes, "I must protect." So it's not his fault, aha. Don't worry, they'll be fine bros as things continue, though he'll still be protective of her. Actually, that goes for pretty much all the PTs... Phantom Thieves, more like Akira Protection Squad.</p><p>Original post date: 2021-04-01.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Can't Go Back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I realized entirely too late that I posted last chapter on April Fools. Oops! It was not a joke chapter, so if you skipped it because of the date, feel free to go back! You probably should actually, or you may be confused. (I hate April Fools; I don't dislike the idea of a day devoted to pranks, but unhealthy prank practice is far too common.)</p><p>As usual, warnings are in the end notes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When they’re done resting, Akira opens the door slightly, peeking her head out for a look. She jumps slightly and shuts the door again quickly, turning back to Morgana. “Th-there are Shadows out there!” she gasps, her voice tiny.</p><p>“It’s alright, my lady,” Morgana assures her. “They can’t see us as long as we’re in here, even if we open the door. Let me listen in on them.” Akira nods and opens the door enough for Morgana to poke their own head through. Ryuji hears the conversation as well.</p><p>“<em>Hm, I thought I saw something move over there, but there’s nothing. Must be my imagination. Remind me where the slaves are now?</em>”</p><p>“<em>They’ve been moved to the training hall. I assume they’re all screaming in pain by now.</em>”</p><p>“<em>I see. By the way, I heard we may have intruders around. Stay on your guard.</em>”</p><p>“…Alright, they’re gone,” Morgana says after a bit. “They said our targets are in the training hall, I think I know where that is.”</p><p>“You <em> think </em>?” Ryuji asks.</p><p>“It’s better than what <em> you </em> know,” Morgana shoots back. “But before we go: Remember that it’s crucial that we keep a low profile at all times. Shadows in a Palace share a consciousness - to a certain extent, anyway - so if one spots you, everyone will know where you are. That’s not so much of a problem if we keep moving, but if we get stuck or have to investigate a particular place, we’ll be in trouble.”</p><p>“Sounds complicated…” Ryuji mutters. </p><p>“…I think I get it,” Akira mumbles. “Basically, stay out of sight and keep moving, right?”</p><p>“That’s correct, my lady.”</p><p>“Ugh, quit it with the ‘my lady’ already!” Ryuji growls. “You’re like… some kinda simp!”</p><p>“What’s a simp?” Morgana asks, tilting their head.</p><p>“Ugh, nevermind.” Ryuji shakes his head. “Let’s just keep goin’.”</p><p>The two teens follow Morgana, Akira trailing after Ryuji. She walks so quietly that Ryuji keeps glancing back at her to make sure she’s still there.</p><p>Before long, Morgana raises a paw, signaling them to stop. “There’s a guard up ahead, and it doesn’t look like it’ll be budging,” they murmur. “We’ll probably have to take them down.”</p><p>Ryuji growls. “Dammit, I wish I could fight… I’d at least be able to help out a little bit… but all I got is this toy from earlier… I’m such a loser.”</p><p>“You’re not a loser,” Akira mumbles. Ryuji smiles at her, and she looks away shyly.</p><p>Morgana, meanwhile, seems to be thinking about something. “You mean that gun, right?”</p><p>“Yeah…” Ryuji rubs the back of his neck. “It looks real n’ all, but it doesn’t shoot anythin’.”</p><p>Morgana grins. “Well, there is a way… We’ll use it to take down these enemies!”</p><p>“Were you listenin’?! It don’t even shoot pellets!”</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’m sure this’ll work.” Morgana points forward. “On your mark, Lady Akira!”</p><p>“…What are we going to do?” Akira asks, glancing down at the model in her hand.</p><p>“Just trust me! Let’s do this!”</p><p>“…okay.”</p><p>“Wait, guys-”</p><p>Akira runs out, jumping for the Shadow’s shoulders with ease that surprises even her. “Show me your true form,” she hisses, grabbing its mask and tearing it off with difficulty like she’d seen Morgana do yesterday. The Shadow melts into darkness, and Morgana jumps in beside her as two enemies form from the Shadow.</p><p>“Alright. You have that gun, right?” Morgana brandishes their blade, pointing towards the enemies. “Aim it towards the enemy and fire!”</p><p>With a shrug, Akira does so, but she nearly loses her grip on it when a muffled BANG sounds, the gun recoils, and a bullet shoots out, piercing the enemy’s head and evaporating it with one hit. “Surprised?” Morgana asks smugly.</p><p>“Warn me next time,” Akira mumbles, adjusting her grip, the gun now feeling heavy in her hand. <em> This can’t be a real gun… no way Ryuji-san could get his hands on something like that… but…  </em></p><p>“Sorry, my lady, but we didn’t have time to explain!” Morgana dashes forward and cleaves the enemy in half with one fluid strike. “Heh. Weaklings.”</p><p>“Uh…” Ryuji stares at the model in Akira’s hand as they walk back to him. “Mind explainin’ what just happened?”</p><p>“This is a cognitive world,” Morgana explains. “As long as our enemy sees the gun as real, it becomes as such. It’s a good thing it’s so realistic-looking.”</p><p>“…I don’t get it,” Ryuji says, frowning.</p><p>“I think I do,” Akira mutters. She clicks open the gun’s barrel, seeing at a glance that the bullets are full - a function she knew the gun didn’t have when she was playing with it in the safe room. “They see it as a gun, so our ammo is limited, but they’re also expecting us to come at them with guns loaded, so… the ammo replenishes every time we face a new enemy.”</p><p>“Wow, you catch on fast, my lady,” Morgana replies, nodding. “The shared consciousness of the Palace Shadows only goes so far, after all. It’s mostly things the ruler themself would find important… the desire to serve the ruler, the status of important things in the Palace, and of course, the status of any intruders. The ruler doesn’t really care how many bullets you’ve put into their servants.”</p><p>“Ouch. Harsh.” Ryuji rolls his shoulders, suddenly feeling tense. “So, we gonna keep goin’?”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, Blondie…”</p><p>“It’s Ryuji!”</p><p>Akira sighs, shutting them both up. <em> I don’t wanna bother her, but Morgana just gets on my nerves…  </em></p><p>They move on through that corridor, before they arrive at a door fancier than the others, with a cloth banner hung over it. “Kamoshida’s… Training Hall… of Love?!” Ryuji reads it out loud, feeling himself get angrier with every word. “What kinda bullshit is this?!”</p><p>“…We’d better keep moving,” Akira mumbles, pushing the door open. As soon as they step through, Ryuji hears pained voices, and he rushes past Akira heedlessly.</p><p>Over a bridge are larger cells on a lower level, and Ryuji looks through the bars to see boys in Shujin uniforms, hands tied to a volleyball net, Shadows slamming the flats of their blades against their backs and legs. He swears, and hears Morgana and Akira running to catch up with him, and when they do, Akira leans over, breathing far more heavily than he’d have expected of anyone her age. <em> That’s not important right now. </em></p><p>“Dammit! This is bullshit!” He slams his fist against the bars, then hisses in pain.</p><p>“How many times do I have to tell you to keep your voice down?” Morgana growls.</p><p>Ryuji shakes his head. “But this is beyond messed up! If this is how he thinks of the team, then how awful is he treatin’ them in real life?!”</p><p>“That reminds me…” Morgana crosses their arms, looking at Ryuji harshly. “Why’d you want to come down here in the first place?”</p><p>“I…” <em> I didn’t really think about that, huh… </em>“I think I… needed to see the inside of that asshole’s messed-up head,” he sighs. “So the school’s a castle, and the students are slaves… It’s so on point that it makes me laugh.”</p><p>“…Still, this is worse than I imagined,” Morgana notes. They walk over to the bars, looking down at the students sadly. “They must be physically abused every day… they’re not just slaves, they’re torture victims.”</p><p>“These guys… they’re members of the volleyball team that Kamoshida coaches,” Ryuji realizes out loud. “It’s just like you said, Akira.” </p><p>Akira seems surprised. “…Yeah, I guess it is…” She looks down at the cognitive students, then winces and looks away.</p><p>“Hang on a sec…” Ryuji practically feels the lightbulb go off in his head. “If these are cogni-whatsits of the volleyball team, they should be based on real people, right?”</p><p>“Where are you going with this?” Morgana crosses their arms, frowning. </p><p>“They <em> should </em> look just like the real people who’re being abused, right?” Ryuji nods to himself. “So, all we gotta do is memorize their faces, then get ‘em to fess up!”</p><p>“…I’m terrible at remembering faces,” Akira admits.</p><p>“What? But you recognized me right away?”</p><p>Akira looks at the floor. “You’re… kind of hard to miss…” she says, so quietly Ryuji barely catches it.</p><p>“Oh. Sorry.” Ryuji isn’t sure what he’s apologizing for. “A-anyway, I got it, so no sweat, alright?”</p><p>“…Thanks.” </p><p>Ryuji stares through the bars, memorizing the student’s faces, until Akira makes a noise of recognition. “That boy in the corner there… He’s in my class.”</p><p>Ryuji follows her point, to see a blue-haired boy huddled in the corner, eyes downcast. Heavy chains hang on his wrists and ankles, connected to an iron ball.</p><p>“He has something around his neck… maybe a shock collar?” Akira murmurs. <em> How can she see that from all the way over here? </em> Ryuji wonders. “Maybe Kamoshida sees him as particularly dangerous… or that he has some sort of edge on him that keeps him locked up like that.”</p><p>“That’s an excellent observation, my lady,” Morgana praises her. “Perhaps he would be a good start in finding out the information you seek.”</p><p>“I know ‘im,” Ryuji says, nodding. “Name’s Mishima. He always seemed like a suck-up to me…”</p><p>“Ryuji-san…” Akira mumbles, still looking at the cell. “Isn’t the volleyball team at this school mixed-gender?”</p><p>“Huh? Yeah, I guess it is… ah, I see what you mean.” There were no girls in the cell, and after a quick look around, there weren’t any in the surrounding cells as well. “W-well, maybe he keeps the girls somewhere else… or he just doesn’t hit ‘em.” Lame excuse, but he didn’t want to have to think about what Kamoshida’s cognition of the girls on the volleyball team could be.</p><p>“M-maybe you’re right.” Akira doesn’t sound convinced. “L-let’s go.”</p><p>Morgana leads them back outside the training hall, where they hear Shadows clanking around, in a panic. “<em> The watch post near the training hall has ceased reporting! Chances of intruder activity is extremely high! All personnel, increase security measures! </em>”</p><p>“We’ve stayed here too long…” Morgana hisses under their breath. “Come on, let’s get out of here!”</p><p>They make a mad dash towards the entrance hall, but just as they enter it, they’re spotted. Shadow Kamoshida himself is accompanied by several Shadows, one in gleaming, golden armor.</p><p>“You knaves again?” Kamoshida hisses. “To think you’d make the same mistake of trying to defy me again. You’re hopeless!”</p><p>Ryuji walks towards Kamoshida, too angry to think properly at the sight of him, after what he’d just witnessed. “The school ain’t your castle!” he spits. “I’ve memorized their faces real good. You’re going down!”</p><p>Kamoshida simply laughs. “It seems it’s true when they say, ‘barking dogs seldom bite,’” he declares. “How far the star runner of the track team has fallen.”</p><p>“What the hell’re you gettin’ at?!”</p><p>“I speak of the ‘Track Traitor’, who acted in violence, ending his teammates’ dreams,” Kamoshida continues. “Oh, I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under with your selfish act…”</p><p>“…‘Track Traitor’?” Akira looks at Ryuji, and the confused look on her face makes Ryuji feel the guilt fresh in his gut. He clenches his fists, turning from her back to Kamoshida.</p><p>“What a surprise,” Kamoshida says, looking at Akira now. “So, you’re… ‘accompanying’ him without knowing anything at all? I knew you’d have low standards, but to think…”</p><p>“Shut up!” Ryuji growls at him. “That’s not true!”</p><p>Kamoshida shrugs. “I suppose the one good thing you’ve done is that you brought this stray handmaiden back to me. You and I are going to have quite a bit of fun…”</p><p>“Don’t you dare touch her!” Ryuji yells, his anger overtaking him as he runs at Kamoshida. One of the Shadows sidesteps and blocks him, knocking him on his ass with its huge shield.</p><p>“Ryuji-san!” Akira jumps in front of him, whipping out a knife from nowhere and parrying a Shadow’s sword with it, twisting the blade safely away from them both. “Morgana-san! Back me up!”</p><p>The Shadows melt into darkness, turning into horses with ram’s horns and red eyes. “<em> I’ll kill you! </em> ” one of them screams. “ <em> I’ll kill you cause King Kamoshida told us! I’ll kill ‘cause that’s what he wants! </em>”</p><p>“<em> You idiot! </em> ” one of them responds. “ <em> Don’t kill the handmaiden! Barely leave a scratch on her- she’s King Kamoshida’s to punish! </em>”</p><p>The third one lunges at Morgana, which he dodges, but it runs right past them and knocks Akira over. She crumples silently, barely catching herself as she falls. “Lady Akira!” Morgana’s distracted enough that one of the horses catches them by surprise, bashing into their back and flinging them into the wall, yowling in pain. </p><p>
  <em> Dammit… If only I could fight too! </em>
</p><p>Kamoshida places a foot on Akira’s back, pressing her down into the ground as she whimpers. Her eyes find Ryuji’s, and the sight shocks him - they’re <em> terror-filled, </em> unhinged fear making her tremble. The golden-armored knight picks up Morgana by their neck, dangling limply, breathing heavily, looking utterly defeated.</p><p>“I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this,” Kamoshida says lazily, grinding his foot into Akira’s back, making her gasp. “Isn’t that right, Sakamoto?”</p><p>“No…” <em> Dammit… this is all my fault, I…  </em></p><p>“What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly.” Kamoshida leers down at the girl beneath him, clearly enjoying the sight. “Poor dear… As much of a common whore she is, she doesn’t deserve someone like that dragging her down. I’ll treat her better than you did, at any rate.”</p><p>“Don’t… Don’t you dare…!”</p><p>“How dare you raise your voice at me!” Shadows advance on Ryuji at Kamoshida’s words. “Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?”</p><p>Ryuji hisses at the memory. “Wasn’t no practice - it was physical abuse! You just didn’t like our team!”</p><p>“It was nothing but an eyesore!” Kamoshida flings his hand out, gesturing for the Shadows to wait. “The only one who needs to achieve results is me! That coach that got fired was hopeless too…” He chuckles. “Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would’ve settled it with breaking his star’s leg.”</p><p>At those words, rage floods into Ryuji so intensely he almost feels calm, but more dumbstruck than anything. “…What?”</p><p>“Do you need me to deal with your other leg, too? The school will just call it self-defense anyway.”</p><p>“No…” Painful memories resurface, things he’d tried not to think about. <em> My leg being broken… my teammates looking at me with disgust… </em>“Not only can I not run anymore… The track team is gone too ‘cause of you…” Frustration, helpless anger and guilt fill Ryuji up to bursting, his hands finding purchase in his hair as he feels the weight of his own emotions crushing him, shoving him into the ground.</p><p>“So that’s why…” Morgana murmurs, their voice hoarse.</p><p>“Once I’ve killed this cat and put away my handmaiden, you’ll be next,” Kamoshida declares. He laughs, the sound echoing through the hall.</p><p>“Ryuji-san…” Her voice soft but powerful, Akira calls out to him, and Ryuji looks at her, meeting her eyes; still scared, but suddenly full of defiance. “Don’t give in… Stand up for yourself…!”</p><p>“…You’re right.” Ryuji lifts his head, staring Kamoshida right in his <em> stupid </em> face. “Everything that was important to me was taken by him… I’ll never get ‘em back! But still…”</p><p>“Stay there and watch,” Kamoshida commands. “Look on as your friend dies… and my handmaiden is rightfully punished, because they were foolish enough to trust in scum like you.”</p><p>“No…” Ryuji stands up, weak leg still shaking, but defiance holding him up even as he feels the Shadows behind him inching closer. “That’s what you are! All you think about is using people… You’re the real scumbag, Kamoshida!” He walks forward, glaring at the bastard king.</p><p>“What are you doing?! Guards, silence him!” Kamoshida growls back.</p><p>Ryuji points at Kamoshida, his anger welling up in him, finally at the breaking point.</p><p>“Stop looking down at me… <em>with that STUPID SMILE ON YOUR FACE! </em>”</p><p>Pain stabs him behind the eyes, and Ryuji collapses, electricity ripping through his body and making his vision white, but through it, he hears a voice.</p><p>
  <b>You made me wait quite a while… </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Wh-who are you?! </em>
</p><p>
  <b>You seek the power to rise against those who seek to use you, correct? Then let us form a pact. Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc? The true self within you desires it as such… I am thou, thou art I… </b>
</p><p>
  <em> There’s no turning back…! The old me is gone… and the new me is here! </em>
</p><p>
  <b>The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!</b>
</p><p> Ryuji is back in the moment, and he puts his hand to his face, feeling a mask there. It feels familiar, but also <em> wrong, </em> so wrong that he <em> has </em> to take it off, no matter the pain and the blood, skin snapping and rending until it’s <em> finally off </em> and power surges through him like a bolt from the heavens. </p><p>White light shoots out, barreling down the Shadows and Kamoshida while leaving his friends untouched. Ryuji feels himself being torn into two as he doubles, but somehow <em> more </em> than the sum of both, two parts of one person who <em> finally </em>became whole, again.</p><p>“Right on…” He glances down at himself, seeing electric-yellow gloves and black sleeves. “Wassup, Persona?! This effin’ rocks!”</p><p>Akira gets up, a small smile on her face, while Morgana stands up beside her with a grin. “Now that I got this power, it’s time for payback!” Ryuji yells, pointing at Kamoshida again. “Bring it!”</p><p>The golden-armored Shadow is the only one left, but it growls and disintegrates into shadow, revealing a knight in red armor on horseback. “<em> Don’t mock me, you brat! </em>” it hisses.</p><p>“I ain’t mockin’! Blast him away… Captain Kidd!”</p><p>With that, the three of them jump into battle, Akira nodding to Ryuji wordlessly. “There’s no changing the past…” Ryuji says, glancing down at the heavy pipe that appears in his hands. “So I’ll act like the troublemaker I am! Let’s do this, Captain Kidd!”</p><p>“Well said, Ryuji-san,” Akira says with a smile. “Lilith! Bufu!” Akira’s Persona manifests behind her, and ice shards pelt the knight, but it seems to shrug them off.</p><p>“Let me try!” Ryuji rips off his mask, feeling Captain Kidd beside him. “Fry ‘em, Captain!” A bolt of electricity shoots from Captain Kidd to the knight, and it stumbles, falling to its knees. </p><p>“Now! All together!” Morgana waves their sword. “Let’s go all out!”</p><p>With a yell, Ryuji jumps and brings his pipe down on the knight’s head, just as Morgana pulls out a huge slingshot from God-knows-where and shoots pellet after pellet into it, which is surprisingly effective. Akira runs around to the back and leaps onto it back, before stabbing her knife into a weakness in its armor. At that, the Shadow dissolves into darkness, leaving them alone with Kamoshida.</p><p>“Hah… Hah…” Ryuji pants, out of breath, before straightening up and looking right into Kamoshida’s face. “How ‘bout that?!”</p><p>“So, Ryuji had the potential too…” Morgana notes.</p><p>“Even if you apologize now… I ain’t forgivin’ you!” Ryuji yells.</p><p>Kamoshida shrugs. “I told you that this is my castle… It seems you still don’t understand.”</p><p>He beckons to someone Ryuji can’t see, then, as if walking out of nowhere, someone familiar appears- but in things she would never wear, not in a million years. Ryuji averts his gaze instinctively. “Wh- Takamaki?!”</p><p>“O-oh!” Morgana hides their eyes, something like a blush appearing on their face. “I… a gentle-thief shouldn’t stare!”</p><p>“What the hell’s goin’ on?!” Ryuji yells, confused.</p><p>Akira is silent, and Ryuji glances back to see her looking away, trying to look as small as possible. “Wh-what do you think is happenin’?”</p><p>“…That must be…” Her voice is tiny and hard to hear. “Kamoshida’s cognition…”</p><p>Ryuji growls. “That son of a… Hey! Let go of her, you perv!”</p><p>“How many times must I tell you until you understand?” Kamoshida strokes the cognitive Takamaki’s face, and she mewls softly in pleasure. “This is MY castle - a place in which I can do whatever I want. <em> Everyone </em> wishes to be loved by me.” His eyes linger over Akira, and she shrinks back, not meeting his eyes. “…That is, everyone besides slow-witted thieves like you. But that will change, eventually…”</p><p>“Akira’ll never give in to a piece of shit like you!” Ryuji snarls.</p><p>“You don’t know anything about the heart of a girl,” Kamoshida says with a sigh. “Though I’m not surprised. Women aren’t drawn to slow punks like you.” </p><p>“Slow?!”</p><p>Kamoshida waves his hand dismissively. “Clean them up this instant!” Shadows morph out of the floor, before advancing on them.</p><p>“We’re outnumbered! Let’s get out of here!” Morgana yells.</p><p>“We’re not gonna do anythin’ and just run?!” Ryuji asks angrily.</p><p>“We can’t die here,” Akira says suddenly, her voice firmer than Ryuji would expect. </p><p>“Lady Akira is right.”</p><p>“Ngh… fine.” Ryuji glares at Kamoshida, before making one last remark. “We’ll expose what you really are, no matter what! You better be ready for us!”</p><p>“No matter what, hm?” Kamoshida laughs. “Fine then. I was getting bored of torturing the ones here. Come at me whenever you want… if you don’t care about the consequences!”</p><p>Ryuji takes a step forward, but he feels Akira’s hand on his elbow. “Ignore him,” she hisses. “Let’s go!”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>They make it outside of the castle, where the three of them take a break. Ryuji pants, far more tired than he would usually be after such a relatively short sprint.</p><p>“Hah… Hah…” he pants, leaning over with his hands on his knees, favoring one side. “Anyways! I don’t remember changin’ into this!” He looks down at his kickass new outfit. Kickass, but also confusing as hell.</p><p>“It’s the manifestation of your will of rebellion, remember?” Morgana tells him.</p><p>“Yeah, but…” He looks down at himself again.. “I look kinda like a thug…”</p><p>“You look cool,” Akira murmurs.</p><p>“Ya think?” He scratches the back of his head. “Well, I suppose if it’s what I think a rebel looks like, or whatever… yeah, I could get used to this. Heheh.” He swings his arms, grinning, before he gasps. “Wait, we’re in deep shit!”</p><p>“Be quiet, you idiot!” Morgana hisses.</p><p>“We might’ve gotten away here, but we’re still screwed with Kamoshida at the real school…” Ryuji kicks the ground, huffing angrily. </p><p>“That’s pretty sharp of you,” Morgana says, nodding. “For being an idiot, anyway.”</p><p>“Morgana-san, don’t call him an idiot,” Akira says sharply.</p><p>Morgana looks at her, wide-eyed. “Erm, okay, my lady. What I meant to say is… I didn’t expect you’d think of that. But relax, the Kamoshida in reality has no idea of what happens in here. A Shadow is the true self that is suppressed- a side of oneself one doesn’t want to see.”</p><p>“So… we’re okay to go back to school tomorrow?” </p><p>Morgana rolls their eyes. “Did the Kamoshida in reality remember about the execution yesterday?”</p><p>“Ohhh. No, he didn’t. Sorry.” Ryuji pumps his fist. “That’s good though! Now that we know that, all we gotta do is-”</p><p>“Hold it, Ryuji.” Morgana raises a paw. “I guided you as I promised. Now you owe me, and it’s your turn to cooperate with me.”</p><p>“Huh? Cooperate?” </p><p>“I told you guys, I originally came here for an investigation. I need to erase the distortion from my body and regain my real form!” They put their paws on their hips, standing tall. “Remember, Lady Akira? You asked how you could help me?”</p><p>“Right,” Akira says quietly. “Listen, Morgana-san… I’d love to help you out, but Ryuji is obviously tired, and we need to rest after today. Another day, I promise I’ll help you… but I can’t promise Ryuji’s help for him.”</p><p>“Well… you did help us out a lot,” Ryuji admits. “I guess I can try, but like Akira said, I’m pooped.”</p><p>Morgana sighs. “I suppose that’s true… But I won’t forget your promise!”</p><p>“I won’t forget, either,” Akira said, smiling a little at them.</p><p>Morgana blushes, the sight odd on them. “A-ah… Th-thank you, my lady!”</p><p>“I won’t forget, neither,” Ryuji agrees. He crouches down to Morgana. “Thanks for everything. You got guts an’ all, for a… not-cat.”</p><p>“Ugh, wh-whatever!” Morgana turns away, but the happy curve of their tail gives them away. “Just get going already!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings:<br/>- Brief use of caps lock<br/>- Cognitive Ann<br/>- Shadow Kamoshida being a creep and a jerk</p><p>And Ryuji gets his Persona. I feel like a "canon" female protagonist of P5 would probably be threatened to be executed at some point even if Kamoshida still harasses her, similar to how he tries to kill the real Ann in her awakening scene, but as you can see, Kamoshida is... rather intent on making her his plaything, ugh. There are reasons for that (plus why he still sees her as his handmaiden, as opposed to realizing the real Ann isn't his cognitive Ann) that we'll be getting into, oh... boss battle time, probably? Heheh.<br/>I always hated how Ryuji and Joker left Morgana high and dry in the scene after Ryuji's awakening. So I changed it, because what else is fanfic for? After all, this is less "Persona 5 but with FeMC" and more "Persona 5 if I got my gay little hands on the script". </p><p>Original post date: 2021-04-04.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. New Powers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As usual, warnings are in the end notes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You have returned to the real world. Welcome back.”</p><p>Akira slips her phone into her pocket as Ryuji sighs in relief. “Thank God, we’re back.” He stretches, then turns back to Akira. “I dragged you around a lot, huh? Sorry, man.”</p><p>“It’s alright…” Akira takes a deep breath, trying to erase the images of what they’d seen in Kamoshida’s castle in her mind, as well as the lingering sensation of him grinning down at her. She can’t help it; she looks behind her, feeling silly when she just sees a brick wall. “You okay?”</p><p>“I’m dead tired, actually,” Ryuji admitted. “How’re you holdin’ up?”</p><p>“…I could use a nap,” she murmurs. <em> I could use more than a nap, but I won’t say that. </em></p><p>Ryuji frowns at her, but just says, “Yeah, me too… I’m gonna sleep like a rock when I get home. But damn, if what we saw was for real, I can finally get that bastard back!” He grins at her, all uncovered emotions and pureness. “I totally remember the faces of the guys that were gettin’ treated like slaves. Once we make ‘em fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be done.”</p><p><em> That may be easier said than done, </em> Akira thinks, but again, she says nothing. Ryuji continues, “So… wanna help me out again, look for those guys, or any witnesses?”</p><p>“…We got this far, didn’t we?” she says quietly.</p><p>“Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!” Ryuji pumps his fist. “An’ here I was thinkin’ you might wanna lay low, ‘cause… you know, the rumors and stuff.”</p><p>Akira shrugs. “I’ve dealt with rumors before.”</p><p>“Really?” Ryuji cocks his head. “Though that reminds me, I had a theory… I think Kamoshida was the one who leaked your record an’ stuff.”</p><p>Akira’s gut drops like a stone, because he’s right; it made sense. “…Why do you think he did that?” she asks, not really wanting to hear the answer, but she couldn’t think of anything else to reply with.</p><p>“No one besides a teacher coulda leaked it that fast!” Ryuji growls. “It don’t matter if it’s a student or a club; that asshole just wrecks things he don’t agree with. Just like he did with me!” Ryuji kicks his foot at the ground, his brows scrunched together in obvious frustration.</p><p>A horrible thought was forming in Akira’s mind, one she left to simmer, scared of what might happen if she uncovered it. “No one’ll take anythin’ I say seriously,” Ryuji mutters, providing a welcome distraction. “Still, those rumors about him gettin’ physical might be real… An’ after seeing the inside of that asshole’s stupid head in person, there’s no way I can just sit back!” He pumps his fist. “I’m countin’ on you! Don’t worry - I’ll be serious about this.”</p><p>A whispering voice, soft and feminine, brushes over Akira’s mind… </p><p>
  <em> I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast established a new bond. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> It shall become the song of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of servitude. </em>
</p><p><em> With the birth of the </em> <em>Chariot</em> <em> Arcana, thou hast obtained the power of connection that shall lead to freedom, and new wisdom…  </em></p><p>Akira feels a tug of strength, her power flowing into Ryuji as his flows to her. She shakes her head, and the feeling vanishes, leaving her wondering if it was just her imagination.</p><p>Ryuji’s stomach grumbles. “Oh…” He ducks his head, seeming embarrassed. “Sorry, I haven’t eaten anything since lunch. Wanna go grab a bite together?”</p><p>Akira is silent. <em> It would be bad if anyone saw us together… but… he’s been so nice… </em>“…what kind of food?” she decides to say.</p><p>“Meat, man,” Ryuji says happily. <em> That doesn’t exactly narrow it down. </em> “C’mon, just follow me.” He looks her up and down, and Akira looks away. “What’d you have for lunch?”</p><p>“I…” Akira shuffles her feet, her gaze fixed on the ground. “I didn’t have anything…”</p><p>“Oh, dude, that’s not good. You gotta have three square meals a day.” Ryuji rolls his shoulder, frowning at her for a moment before a grin lifts his face. “I’ll pay for it this time, so just order whatever you want, alright?”</p><p>“…okay.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryuji ends up ordering for both of them, since Akira was having trouble deciding. Just looking at her, he can tell she needs good food, so he orders something more filling and healthy for her than what he’d usually suggest.</p><p>His suspicions are confirmed when she starts eating at a breakneck pace, though she stops when she notices him looking at her. “A-ah, sorry,” she murmurs, wiping her mouth with a napkin. </p><p>“Nah, it’s fine. More important that you eat well,” Ryuji assures her. Akira glances down at her bowl, tapping her chopsticks against the side, then starts eating again at a slower rate, seeming almost self-conscious. </p><p>“So, uh…” <em> Well, now’s as good a time to ask as any. </em>“W-what’s up with those rumors going around? Some kinda fake record?”</p><p>Akira finishes chewing and swallows. She’s silent, before she mumbles, “The record… isn’t fake…”</p><p><em> What?! </em> Ryuji shifts uncomfortably. <em> You’d never guess it by lookin’ at her… unless… </em>“Did you… get falsely accused?”</p><p>Akira nods slowly. </p><p>“Damn… What really happened, then?”</p><p>She tenses, her shoulders going up and her head bowing. “I… it’s not… a pretty story.”</p><p>“Hey. Look at me.” Ryuji waits for Akira to meet his eyes, and eventually, she does, and the look on her face makes his stomach do a flip; it’s similar to that look she had when Kamoshida was hovering over her, but more… defeated, and acceptant. “I won’t judge you, ‘specially not for gettin’ falsely accused.”</p><p>Akira looks into his eyes, and he gets the odd feeling that she’s searching for something. Finally, she sighs. “…Alright. I-I’ll tell you.”</p><p>“I was… walking home one night… late from school… when I passed by this alley. I-I wasn’t paying attention, and this man… h-he grabbed me…”</p><p>Ryuji feels his food churn in his gut, but he doesn’t say anything, just gripping his bowl and chopsticks with shaky hands.</p><p>“I-I-I don’t… exactly remember what happened… but I think he fell, and I was arrested… the police just told me my charges, and… that was that.” Akira’s head is down, and her hands are in her lap; she’s trembling visibly. <em> No wonder she shut down when those cops approached us… damn.  </em></p><p>“Hey.” He leans over, placing a hand on her shoulder, but she tenses harder, and he moves his hand away quickly. “You okay?”</p><p>“…it’s in the past,” she mumbles, like she’s trying to convince herself of that.</p><p>A boiling, relentless fury pushes itself up through Ryuji’s chest. “Are you kiddin’? You can’t just accept that! If it were me, I wouldn’t have calmed down ‘til I had punched that dick in the face!”</p><p>“S-stop, Ryuji!” she protests, her voice going high. “I can’t… we can’t change some things, and this is-” Her breath catches in her throat. “I should’ve… I couldn’t…”</p><p>“Whoa, whoa, whoa. It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” Ryuji can’t help but wonder what she’s thinking, but calming her down is more important. “I’m here for you, okay?</p><p>Akira sniffles. “…Thanks.”</p><p>Ryuji grins at her, hoping to cheer her up, and is rewarded with a small smile. “So, Akiaki…”</p><p>“Akiaki… do you mean… me?” Akira asks shyly.</p><p>“Uh, yeah.” Ryuji nods. “I-I mean, if you don’t like it-”</p><p>“…no, it’s fine.” She smiles at him again. “…It’s cute.”</p><p><em> It fits you, then, </em> Ryuji thought before he could stop himself. <em> Ugh, whatever. Just because I can admit she’s cute don’t mean I have a crush on her or anythin’! </em> He coughs and looks away, then turns back to her. “You should finish your food ‘fore it gets cold,” he reminds her.</p><p>“O-oh, yeah.” They resume eating in silence, the quiet between them neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. </p><p>“So…” Ryuji says, trying to break the silence. “I guess we’re more alike than I thought, huh?”</p><p>“…how so?”</p><p>“I guess it’s how we’re… treated like a pain in the ass by the people around us, like we don’t belong,” he admits, realizing too late he could’ve tried to soften it a bit, but Akira just nods slowly.</p><p>“I… I think my parents expected a lot of me,” Akira mumbles. “A lot of things that… I couldn’t fulfill. I tried my best, but…”</p><p>“Eh, parents who expect their kids to run themselves ragged are the worst,” Ryuji mutters. “They should be supportin’ their kids, not tellin’ ‘em what to do with their lives. Mom’s always been in my corner, but uh, I get where you’re comin’ from, totally.”</p><p>Akira doesn’t respond. She’s back to her near-breakneck pace of eating, and, surprising Ryuji, she’s done before he is. “…Thanks for the meal,” she mumbles. She wipes her face again; so meticulously that Ryuji wonders if she can feel every crumb. </p><p>“No prob, dude,” Ryuji replies with a grin. “Anyway… Wanna trade numbers? Chat ID, too.” Akira nods, and they trade phones, typing their numbers into each other’s contacts list. “Once we do somethin’ ‘bout Kamoshida, we can both rest easy at school, y’know?”</p><p>“…yeah.” Akira looks over the contact info Ryuji put in. “Wanna test the number, make sure it’s right?”</p><p>“Oh, good idea!” Ryuji pulls up the new contact, and types, “can u see this? its ryuji”</p><p>Her phone buzzes, and she types something back. “Yep.”</p><p>“Awesome.” Ryuji pockets his phone. “So, we’ll start tomorrow, ‘kay? We’ll hit up the guys who’re bein’ kept like slaves first.” Akira nods in response. “The volleyball rally’s tomorrow… Shit’s reccommended by Kamoshida, makes me wanna gag. But at least we can walk around and talk to those guys without anyone puttin’ up a fuss.”</p><p>Akira nods. “Let’s make a more detailed plan tomorrow.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Sakura is waiting for Akira when she walks into Leblanc, and she freezes when she sees him watching her.</p><p>“…You’re home,” he notes. “I take it you actually went to school today?”</p><p>“…of course,” she mumbles.</p><p>“I guess you learned your lesson, then,” he mutters. “I don’t know what you’ve been up to, getting home so late, but trust me, you’ll be gone if you cause any trouble, alright?”</p><p>Akira just nods, her eyes on the floor.</p><p>“In case you forgot, your life is not a free one right now.”</p><p><em> When has it ever been? </em> Akira thinks before she can stop herself. She pushes the thought deep down. “…I was eating out with a friend,” she responds.</p><p>Sakura raises an eyebrow. “Well, I suppose I should be glad you’re making friends,” he says. “So long as they’re a good influence.”</p><p>“Ryuji-san is a nice person,” Akira insists, feeling defensive on his part instinctively.</p><p>“A boy, hm?” Sakura sighs. “Eh, whatever. Things’re different now these days, I suppose. Well, head up to bed; I’m gonna be heading home myself now. I’m locking up so you can’t wander off, got it?” Akira nods.</p><p>When she heads up to her room, her phone buzzes, and she checks it to see that Ryuji has texted her.</p><p>SR: that nav thingy on your phone was some red eyeball icon right?</p><p>KA: Right.</p><p>SR: its what sent us to that weird place yeah?</p><p>SR: i found it on my phone</p><p>SR: i didnt even install it!</p><p>KA: Yeah, it seems to do that.</p><p>SR: think its being downloaded on its own somehow?</p><p>KA: It’s dangerous to use something without knowing what it is…</p><p>KA: But we don’t exactly have much choice.</p><p>SR: ye</p><p>SR: its basically gonna depend on HOW we use it</p><p>SR: but first we gotta find evidence of the beatings</p><p>SR: im counting on you alright?</p><p>KA: I’m counting on you, too.</p><p>SR: aw thanks!</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akira falls asleep eventually, only to open her eyes and find herself in the Velvet Room. Again.</p><p><em> Doesn’t he get tired of this? I certainly am. </em> Akira shifts out of her lumpy bed and shuffles over to the cell door, chains tugging painfully at her ankles.</p><p>“So, the Inmate awakens,” Justine notes.</p><p>“Looks like I didn’t have to wake you up this time,” Caroline says with a <em> hmph. </em> “Of course, that’s the bare minimum expected of you, you lazy bum.”</p><p>Akira just nods tiredly.</p><p>“Welcome back to the Velvet Room,” Igor breaks in. “Tell me, what are your thoughts? Are you becoming accustomed to this place?”</p><p>“…I suppose,” Akira mumbles.</p><p>“Don’t lie to us, Inmate,” Caroline says sharply. “We’ll know if you do.”</p><p>Igor chuckles. “I imagine you have many reservations about returning here from your everyday life,” he drawls. “However, it will be problematic if you do not become accustomed to this. You will find reason to return here of your own free will eventually, after all.”</p><p><em> I highly doubt that, </em> Akira thinks, but keeps it to herself.</p><p>“The goal of your rehabilitation is to thwart the fated ruin,” Igor continues. “However, such a feat cannot be done by you alone. Today, you entered a partnership with someone who awoke to the same power, did you not?”</p><p>“…You mean Ryuji-san?” Akira asks. <em> There was that voice, then…  </em></p><p>“Correct. Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for your recovery.” Igor’s eyes gleam. “You’ve done well.”</p><p><em> My… recovery? </em> Akira tenses at Igor’s praise of her, expecting… she’s not sure, really. Other than that, she’s silent.</p><p>“That being said, your relationships must be mutually beneficial, as well as deeply involved,” Igor continues. “It must not be of frivolity, but a ring of those who would, by morals or faith, lend you their strength. In other words, bonds with those who, like you, have been robbed of their place to belong. The expansion of said ring will, in turn, help you mature and strengthen as well.”</p><p>“Personas are the strength of the heart,” Justine says. “The stronger bonds you forge, the stronger your heart will grow, and so, in turn, will your Persona.”</p><p>“There are countless people in the city who have skills that a weakling like you doesn’t,” Caroline adds. “You’d better rack that noggin of yours and get them on your side. We’ll change that into power for your Persona.”</p><p>“Indeed.” Igor chuckles again. “However, you must also be prepared to rely on your own power, as well as that of others… Isn’t that right?”</p><p>Akira hears the voice again, whispering in her mind… </p><p>
  <em> I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast established a new resolution. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> It shall become the song of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of servitude. </em>
</p><p><em> With the birth of the </em> <em>Moon</em> <em> Arcana, thou has obtained the power of salvation that shall lead to freedom, and new wisdom… </em></p><p>Akira feels a warm sensation blooming in her chest, and she sinks into it, mentally, before she remembers where she is and snaps out of it, resuming her usual glare towards Igor.</p><p>Igor seems not to have noticed her momentary lapse of concentration - or he simply doesn’t care. “Well, you will understand it all in due time… Continue devoting yourself to your rehabilitation.”</p><p>Caroline <em> hmph </em>s again. “This conversation’s over. Get lost, Inmate!”</p><p>Darkness envelops Akira yet again, and she welcomes the chance to escape the leer of the long-nosed man.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings:<br/>- Mentions/implications of CSA</p><p>Two new Confidants in one chapter! Oh, but the second one may have been a bit of a surprise... In P5, Lilith is of the Moon Arcana, and I figured that it would work for Akira to be the Moon like Joker is the Fool. Some of the other Confidants will have their Arcanas switched around, too.<br/>Oh, and of course, we hear a tiny hint of Akira's backstory... seems she's had it rough, hmm? Well, we'll be getting into it later. Oh, and I rewrote Akira's inner "new confidant" monologue a bit, to make things fit her better. Hope y'all like it.</p><p>Original post date: 2021-04-08.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Taking Sides</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As usual, warnings are in the end notes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Akira makes it to school without any problems, and pays close attention as Kawakami outlines the schedule for the day, writing it down in her notes. The rally takes place immediately after homeroom, then they have free time and study hall for the rest of the day. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Would have been nice to get the schedule yesterday, but I can’t expect any accommodations like that here.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She finds Ryuji as soon as they’re let out to head to the gym. “We’re gonna have to stay in the gym for the first game so no one suspects us,” he says quietly. Akira nods in agreement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They find a spot in the corner without anyone around, and Akira pulls out her science textbook and starts pouring through it. The squeak of sneakers on the gym floor and the cheers and yells from the students distract her, so eventually she closes it and stares out at the game listlessly. She sees the boy Ryuji called Mishima shuffle to the back with a resigned look on his face, just before Kamoshida’s spike nails him in the face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gasps echo through the room, the atmosphere changing in an instant. Kamoshida runs over to Mishima, helping him stand up before a few other members of the team run over, probably to help him walk to the nurse’s office. Akira’s too worn out by the sounds and heat of the gym to make out what they’re saying. She nearly misses it when the game ends, lost in thought (or no thoughts at all, as it were), but Ryuji waves his hand in front of her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah! Sorry for zoning out,” she apologizes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No problem. Too loud for ya?” Ryuji asks, and Akira nods after a moment. “It’s time to go check on those guys what were in Kamoshida’s castle. Let’s talk more in the courtyard, get you some fresh air.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akira follows him, and they sit down on benches beneath a part of the school, supported by pillars. Ryuji plops onto his bench with a growl. “That asshole’s actin’ like a king over here, too… Get to know each other better my ass. It’s just a one-man show for him to stroke his ego.” He kicks at the ground in front of him. “And how he acted like he was worried about Mishima? What an abusive bag of dicks!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akira doesn’t respond, deep in her thoughts; most of them on how exactly they’ll get anything out of the victims.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…So, now’s our chance to go look for the guys we saw were slaves yesterday,” Ryuji continues. Akira nods to show her understanding. “I’ll look for the faces I saw at the castle. All the members should be here today.” He taps his feet on the ground, thinking back to yesterday. “There was one guy in class 2-D, your class. We should start there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akira starts playing with her hair again, and Ryuji realizes something. “Don’t worry, I’ll do all the talkin’,” he adds quickly. “You can just… chime in when you feel the need, y’know? Don’t worry, I can handle it if you’re havin’ trouble.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akira fidgets a bit more. “…you sure?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’ll be fine,” Ryuji assures her, hoping he doesn’t eat his words. “Everyone’s been kinda avoidin’ me, but… you’re more’r less in the same boat.” He gets up and stretches. “Welp, no point gettin’ worried about that. Let’s just do it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akira nods again, and the two of them head to her classroom. A boy Ryuji recognizes is there, with head bandages for days, so he points him out. Akira seems to wince at the sight of his injuries, but it doesn’t stop them from walking up to him. “Hey uh, you got a sec?” Ryuji asks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” the student says defensively. “Are you skipping out on the rally? Guess I should expect that from you, Sakamoto.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji ignores him. “How’d you get injured like that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s from practice!” the volleyball player says defensively. “What does that have to do with anything?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kamoshida did it to you, right?” Ryuji says, keeping on the offensive. “Look, I ain’t gonna tell anyone you squealed. Just tell us how Kamoshida’s abusin’ you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…Are you afraid?” Akira says quietly, her voice gentle and understanding, if a little shaky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I’m not! You guys are talking complete nonsense!” The student turns away, wincing and holding his head. “This is ridiculous. Just leave me alone!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji opens his mouth to protest, but suddenly becomes aware of Akira shaking next to him. He turns to see her practically trembling like a leaf. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dammit, she must be freaked out ‘cause of all his yellin’.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, let’s go,” he says quietly, gesturing towards the door. She nods and follows him back to the benches from earlier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna go chew that guy out,” he growls, then turns and heads back, leaving her blessedly alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akira takes a few deep breaths, but they only serve to heighten her overloaded senses, so instead she squeezes her eyes shut and digs her nails into the fabric of her bag. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What to do, what to do? Oh, yeah. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She tears a piece of paper out of her notebook with trembling hands, then rips it into smaller and smaller pieces, the smallest ones fluttering down to the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just when she thinks she might be calming down, a too-loud voice asks, “Can I talk to you for a sec?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akira jumps, suddenly far too aware of the girl’s (Takamaki, right?) presence, putting her hands up to her ears without thinking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, sorry!” Takamaki stage-whispers. “A-are you alright? You, um…” Her gaze goes down to the torn paper on the ground. “Well, I’ll be quick.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takamaki sits down on the bench perpendicular to hers. “So… what’s been going on with you? Like, how Kawakami-sensei lied about you being late, and all these insane rumors going around… I’m uh, kinda concerned, y’know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akira stares at the ground, silent. She isn’t even sure if she could speak if she wanted to; she has no idea what she could even say. All she sees is the way Kamoshida looked at her, and the resigned face Takamaki had when she got into the car.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, what’re you botherin’ her for?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji’s voice, turned down several notches from usual, comes from the corner. A can of unopened sweet tea is in his hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“O-oh, well,” Takamaki hedges, shifting awkwardly. “She’s in my class, and I’m concerned for her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bullshit,” Ryuji mutters. “You just wanna stick your nose into her business. Can’t you see she’s upset?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takamaki practically puffs up indignantly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She’s very expressive… an actress, maybe?</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Why’re you hanging out with her all the time, anyway? You’re not even in our class.” Akira winces from her slightly raised tone of voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We just happened to… get to know each other,” Ryuji says haltingly. The wording leaves something to be desired, but considering how they actually met, the truth would be far more suspicious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takamaki shakes her head with a sigh. “What’re you two planning on doing to Kamoshida-sensei?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh?!” Ryuji starts, and Akira jolts. “Why would you- why do you even care? Isn’t that guy-” He pauses, glaring at her. “…I see. I getcha. Finally taken a side, have you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?!” Takamaki stands up and walks over to him, anger radiating out from her. “What the hell do you mean by ‘sides’?! There are no sides! You’re just stirring up trouble as always!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji growls, looking away for a moment before meeting her eyes again. “If you found out what he’s been doin’ behind your back, you’d see what I mean by ‘sides’.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That gives Takamaki pause. “‘Behind my back’…?” she echoes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akira feels her voice return. “Stop fighting, please,” she tries not to beg, but it probably comes off as pleading anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Takamaki sighs. “…Sorry if I upset you,” she says to Akira after a moment. “I just wanted to say… people are already talking about you. It won’t help your reputation to be seen with him.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is that… sympathy on her face?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The eff does that mean?” Ryuji demands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know what you two are trying to pull, but no one’s going to be on your side when it blows up in your face,” she growls at Ryuji, then sighs again. “…I’m warning you, just in case.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji’s eyes follow her as she leaves. “Shit, sorry,” he says suddenly. “I bought this tea for you.” He places the can on the table in front of Akira. “My mom always gives me tea when I’m upset… well, usually the hot kind, but brewing that woulda took too long.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akira stares at the tea. That simple gesture of kindness shook her, in her vulnerable state, more than she’d like to admit. “…Thanks,” she mumbles. She cracks open the tea and takes a sip, noting that it’s caffeinated. “Can you… give me a bit?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure. Mind if I sit here?” Ryuji points to the bench Ann was sitting in, and Akira makes a “it’s fine” gesture. He sits there and starts playing with his phone while he waits.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After a while, Akira speaks up. “…Remember that boy we saw yesterday?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Which boy? There were loads of ‘em.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The one with the chains around his ankles. I think you called him… Mishima-san?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh yeah,” Ryuji says, nodding in agreement. “I always see the guy covered in bruises… might be a good shot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ding of a school announcement breaks into their conversation. “Attention, attention,” comes the intercom. “All matches have concluded for today. Students who do not have extracurricular activities, you will be expected to either spend your time here studying or go home…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Crap, we’re out of time,” Ryuji mutters. “We’d better hurry if we wanna catch him ‘fore he leaves.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They just manage it. Mishima is heading out of the front entrance, and Ryuji dashes to catch up. “Hey, got a sec?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mishima turns to face him, starting at the sight. “S-Sakamoto?” he gasps, then sees Akira catching up with them. “And… the transfer student, too…?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, we just wanna chat,” Ryuji says, trying to smile to put him at ease. “You uh, gettin’ any… special attention from Kamoshida?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-you heard about his special coaching? I- I mean-” He gulps as Ryuji smirks. “It isn’t what you think it is!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You sure it ain’t just physical abuse?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Certainly not!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’re you talkin’ all polite for?” Ryuji shakes his head. “It don’t matter though. Point is, we saw him spike you today, right in the face.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That was just… an accident…” Mishima winces, putting a hand to his head as if remembering it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That don’t explain the other bruises you got.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’re from practice!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji sighs. “Listen, I’ll be straight up with you, man. Is he forcin’ you to keep quiet?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s going on here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the sound of Kamoshida’s awful voice, Ryuji hears Akira gasp and feels her move behind him. “Mishima-kun, isn’t it time for practice?” the teacher continues.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mishima holds his stomach, as if having a stomachache. “I… I’m not feeling well today…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that so? Maybe you’re better off quitting then.” Kamoshida sighs, putting his hands on his hips. “You’re never going to improve that crappy form of yours if you don’t show up to practice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Familiar indignation pushes itself up through Ryuji’s chest, and he walks over to Kamoshida. “Didn’t you hear? He ain’t feelin’ well,” he growls.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kamoshida practically rolls his eyes, turning to Mishima. “Well, Mishima-kun, are you coming to practice or not?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…I’ll go,” Mishima practically whimpers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kamoshida sighs, then turns on Ryuji, walking into his personal space. “As for you… Any more trouble and you’ll be gone from this school, understand?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji growls, but says nothing. He almost regrets it when he sees Kamoshida’s eyes move from him to someone behind him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As for you…” As Kamoshida continues, Ryuji turns to see Akira back up a step, her hands behind her back. “Well, we wouldn’t want your future to go to waste. My door is still open to you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I-I was just leaving,” Akira squeaks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“All these unsettling rumors must be making the students anxious,” Kamoshida continues, his voice dripping with hidden poison; poison Ryuji recognizes. “We try our best to prevent bullying at our school, but… I suppose one is always followed by their past. Let’s go, Mishima.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he disappears around the corner, Ryuji hisses. “That asshole! He’s gonna pay for this!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…There’s no point,” Mishima mumbles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji and Akira turn to him. “What the hell does that mean?” Ryuji demands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Proving that he’s physically abusing us… is meaningless,” Mishima continues to mumble. “Everybody knows… The principal, our parents… they all know, and they all keep quiet about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What…” Ryuji stares, open-mouthed. “This… this has gotta be a joke, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mishima sighs. “Please… stop bothering me and the other players. You don’t understand what we’re going through. Shouldn’t you of all people know that nothing’s going to help?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji feels his words stab at his chest, and he’s silent as Mishima walks to practice. Finally, he turns to Akira. “…Are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…I’m fine,” Akira mumbles. “It… it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, what the hell does that mean?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akira winces, and Ryuji realizes too late that he raised his voice. “I… I don’t wanna talk about it,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “M-more importantly, Ryuji-san… what are you going to do now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ryuji sighs. “…I’ll try to talk to the other team members before I leave,” he mutters. “That’s… all I can do.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akira flops onto her bed, her soul aching with all the things she’d been through that day. Sensory overload, almost another panic attack with Kamoshida, and of course, that revelation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I wonder… Did anyone know, when…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akira shoves that thought aside as her phone buzzes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: this dont make any damn sense</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: the principal and even the parents know about the abuse!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: why aint anyone saying anything?!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>KA: Maybe because he’s the volleyball coach?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: shit maybe your right</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: he made the team basically famous</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: even so that dont give him the right to do whatever he wants!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: hes beating up kids, and all theyre allowed to do is endure</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: and that follower of his dont give one shit</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>KA: “Follower”?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: takamaki ann</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: that girl who was bothering you in the courtyard</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: shes in your class too!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>KA: I’m not so sure she’s a “follower” of his… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: you kidding? hes with her all the time</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: ugh, it makes me so mad!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: i can’t let it end like this</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: im gonna try and find someone wholl fess up during break tomorrow</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: just you watch, i aint giving up!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>KA: I believe in you, Ryuji-kun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>KA: Uh, do you mind if I call you that?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: its cool</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>SR: anyway, thanks. gn!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>KA: Goodnight.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings:<br/>- Sensory overload<br/>- Kamoshida's physical abuses</p>
<p>We've reached the tenth chapter, yay! Pretty big milestone, haha. At least for me; I've never written a fic this long before.<br/>And Akira has some sensory overload, oof. It's a sensory processing disorder thing (which is a symptom of autism, ADHD, and other similar things), where your brain gets more sensitive the more information you're processing, until the sensory information actually starts to hurt. It's not a fun time, lemme tell ya.<br/>We have a small conversation with Ann, and then another confrontation with Kamoshida. I hope I made it believable. Also, I forgot to mention, I'm making the texting much more believable, I think. It's just too boring in canon P5.</p>
<p>Original post date: 2021-04-10.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Seeing The Truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Welcome to Reclaim Your Rage's rebranding chapter! Lol. If you're new here, the fic used to be called Darkness of Desire, but that's now the series name, because I cannot control myself.</p><p>As usual, warnings are in the end notes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ryuji texts Akira in class the next day.</p><p>SR: so about witnesses</p><p>SR: i was thinking maybe we could get something outta takamaki</p><p>KA: Why’s that?</p><p>SR: we couldnt get anythnig outta the volleyball members, ya know</p><p>SR: cause well, we dont know any of them</p><p>KA: Plus there’s all the rumors about each of us.</p><p>SR: right</p><p>SR: takamakis bffs with a starter on the team, a girl called suzui</p><p>SR: tried to talk to her during break, got nothing</p><p>SR: thats why we should have takamaki talk to her!</p><p>KA: Good idea, but I don’t think Takamaki-san wants anything to do with us.</p><p>KA: Uh, you alright?</p><p>SR: sorry, dropped my pencil</p><p>SR: your right tho</p><p>SR: sorry, lemme see what else i can come up with</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akira’s heading to meet up with Ryuji when she runs into a girl with a white sweater and a ponytail, in front of the door to the courtyard. She coughs slightly to get her attention.</p><p>“Oh…” She looks up, and Akira sees an ugly purple bruise above her left eye. <em> Volleyball team, huh. </em> “I’m in the way, aren’t I? Sorry…”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it,” Akira mumbles. </p><p>“I really am sorry though,” the girl says, bowing her head in apology. “I must have spaced out…”</p><p>“It’s really alright,” Akira insists. A tickle of dry humor strikes Akira at their exchange, but she notices the girl staring at her, and it vanishes to be replaced with embarrassment.</p><p>“Um, is there… something you have to say?” she asks.</p><p>“No, it’s just…” The girl sighs. “You don’t look familiar. Are you the transfer student from class 2-D?”</p><p>Akira nods silently.</p><p>The girl shuffles her feet slightly, looking at the ground. “Um, this might not be any of my business, but… don’t let the rumors get to you, okay?”</p><p>Akira blinks. <em> That is not at all what I was expecting. </em> She realizes the girl’s waiting for a response, and says quietly, “They don’t bother me.”</p><p>“I’m glad to hear that.” She sighs again, with a distant look in her eyes. “My… my best friend is often misunderstood too, all because of her looks…”</p><p>Something clicks in Akira’s head. <em> Volleyball injuries… best friend stands out… could this be Suzui? </em> She doesn’t say anything, though.</p><p>“Ah, sorry,” Suzui apologizes. “I didn’t mean to drag on like that. A-anyway, I have to go to practice. I’ll see you around.”</p><p>She walks away from the door, her head down. Akira watches her leave before sliding open the door to the courtyard, where she finds Ryuji in the spot he showed her yesterday.</p><p>“Dammit… what the hell.” Ryuji taps his foot anxiously, growling to himself. Akira sits down at the bench next to him, silent. “This ain’t goin’ our way at all.”</p><p>“…I guess you didn’t find anyone,” Akira mumbles.</p><p>“Right on the mark.” Ryuji thumps his fist against the vending machine next to him. “All of ‘em kept sayin’ the same shit Mishima was talkin’ about! Kamoshida had to have told ‘em something that’s keepin’ em quiet!” He sighs and looks towards Akira. “At this rate… we might hafta go to him directly.”</p><p>Akira holds her arms around her chest, fear fluttering in her stomach. “…Do you think that could really work?” she asks, her voice trembling against her will just at the thought. <em> I’d bear through it if it meant stopping the abuse, but, unless there’s a chance…  </em></p><p>“…No, you’re right,” Ryuji grumbles. “But seriously, there <em> has </em> to be something we can do! No way I’m gonna give in like this!” He looks at Akira, frustration evident on his face. “Can you think of anything?”</p><p>Akira thinks. <em> Calling the police is a no-go, we don’t have any proof… plus there’s no guarantee they’d be on our side. Proof… our only real proof is the castle, and no one would believe us… wait, the castle! </em></p><p>“Maybe the Metaverse has some way to, I don’t know… punish him?” Akira wonders out loud. “Or get rid of his distortion…”</p><p>“Hm, maybe, but… We barely know anything about that world.” Ryuji rubs the back of his head. “Is there any way to-”</p><p>“I finally found you!”</p><p>A familiar voice yowls happily, and Akira turns to see a black cat with blue eyes and white sock markings. It leaps up onto the table in front of them, opens its mouth, and <em> speaks. </em> “Don’t think you can get away with not paying me back for helping you.”</p><p>“That voice… Is that you, Morgana?!” Ryuji asks, wide-eyed.</p><p>“In the flesh!” Morgana sits, twirling their tail around their legs. “You guys said you’d come help me, but you didn’t come back yesterday, so I had to come find you!”</p><p>“The cat’s talkin’?!” Ryuji stares at Morgana, and Morgana turns their head, not making eye contact.</p><p>“I am <em> not </em> a cat! This is just what happened when I came to this world!” Morgana’s tail starts swishing slowly; they’re annoyed, if Akira remembers her research on cat body language correctly. “It was a lot of trouble finding you two!”</p><p>“Wait, you came to our world?” Ryuji’s eyes went wide. “Does that mean you’ve got a phone?”</p><p>Morgana rolls their eyes. “You don’t need one when you’re at my level. You should be calling me sensei!”</p><p>“Okay, Morgana-sensei,” Akira says, testing out the phrase. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but if it’s what they want to be called… </p><p>Morgana flicks their ears outwards, raising a paw to their nose. “Y-yeah, that’s right!” they say, sounding a little embarrassed. Akira tilts her head in confusion; didn’t they ask to be called that?</p><p>“That’s besides the point!” Ryuji rubs the back of his head again. “How come you can talk?! You’re a cat, or at least in the shape of one!”</p><p>“How should I know?” Morgana says indignantly.</p><p>Ryuji sighs, then turns to Akira. “This is crazy…” </p><p>Morgana licks their paw and rubs their head with it. “You guys are having a rough time of getting back at Kamoshida, huh? I heard you mention something about witnesses.”</p><p>“Oh, shuddup.”</p><p>“I’m trying to help you, you… doof!” Morgana pauses, probably avoiding the word ‘idiot’. “My lady Akira was very close just a moment ago, about what to do with Kamoshida.”</p><p>“Ugh, this thing’s definitely Morgana, that’s for sure,” Ryuji sighs.</p><p>“You were still doubting me?!” Morgana protests.</p><p>“Quiet down, you two,” Akira hisses.</p><p>As if on cue, Akira hears a teacher grumbling, and a student’s response. </p><p>“We really have to be looking for a cat in a busy time like this?”</p><p>“I just heard a meow somewhere near here. Didn’t you hear it?”</p><p>“Make sure you check every nook and cranny around.”</p><p>“…They heard a meow?” Akira notes, tilting her head. “Do you think only we can understand what they’re saying?”</p><p>“Astute as always, my lady.”</p><p>“Ugh, what the hell…” Ryuji sighs, rubbing his head. “Come on, we gotta hide ‘em. Uhh… Your bag!”</p><p>Akira hesitates, but hears footsteps getting closer. “Please get in,” she mumbles, unzipping her bag and setting it on the table. “We’ll get in huge trouble if you’re seen.”</p><p>“Alright, don’t need to ask me twice.” Morgana leaps in and settles down, tucking their tail close to them. Akira zips it back up with trembling hands, careful not to get their fur stuck.</p><p>Just in time. “Have you seen a cat around here?” asks the student Akira heard. She glances at him and sees his badge, that of a disciplinary committee member.</p><p>“Nah, but Akiaki’s phone has a cat notification sound,” Ryuji says. <em> Smart thinking. </em>The teacher next to the student raises an eyebrow, but they leave them alone.</p><p>“We gotta go somewhere else to talk,” Ryuji mutters. “Can you meet me on the roof?” Akira nods after a moment.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“That was a surprisingly comfortable ride,” Morgana notes, stretching their front legs. “You were very conscious of my comfort, Lady Akira.”</p><p>“Oh, w-well…”</p><p>“Enuffa that,” Ryuji sighs. “You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?</p><p>Morgana nods. “It has to do with what Lady Akira was talking about earlier. You’ll need to attack his castle.”</p><p>“Whaddya mean?”</p><p>Morgana sits again, curling their tail close. “That castle is how Kamoshida views the school. He doesn’t realize what happens in there, but it’s deeply connected to the depths of his heart. Thus, if the castle disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida.”</p><p>“…What would that do?” Akira asks quietly.</p><p>Morgana flicks their tail. “A Palace is a manifestation of a person’s distorted desires. So, if that castle were no more…”</p><p>“…His desires would go, too?” Akira guesses.</p><p>“Exactly!” Morgana nods again.</p><p>Ryuji’s eyes go wide. “For real?! He’d turn good?!” He pauses. “But… is that really gettin’ back at him?”</p><p><em> I just want to stop what he’s doing, </em> Akira thinks, but doesn’t voice it. Ryuji is the one who was directly affected by Kamoshida, after all.</p><p>Morgana continues. “Erasing a Palace essentially means forcing the owner to have a change of heart. However, even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain.” They purr happily. “Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, and he’ll confess them himself!”</p><p>“Holy crap…” Ryuji stares, still wide-eyed. “This sounds too good to be true!”</p><p>Morgana sits up straighter, clearly enjoying Ryuji’s reactions. “And since the Palace is in the Metaverse, his real self won’t know a thing. Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, there won’t even be a trace of our involvement.”</p><p>“That’s amazin’!” Ryuji pumps his fist. “You are one incredible… uh, little dude!”</p><p>“True.” Morgana licks their paw, looking as smug as possible for a cat.</p><p>“So, how do we do it?!” Ryuji asks excitedly. </p><p>“By stealing the Treasure held within,” Morgana explains. “I’ll tell you more once you’re all sure. It’s my most valuable, secret plan, after all. If you’re serious about helping me out like you said, I’ll gladly teach you. What’s your call?”</p><p>Ryuji turns to Akira. “I wanna get back at Kamoshida, no matter what, but… I can’t ask to drag you int’this unless you’re sure.”</p><p>Akira is silent. “…I want to make sure no one suffers from him again,” she says finally. “And we don’t have any other ways to stop him.”</p><p>“Good.” Morgana stands up and stretches. “Though, there’s one more thing I should tell you. If we erase a Palace, there’s no doubt that the person’s distorted desires will be erased as well. But desires are what we all need in order to survive.” They lick their paw again. “The will to eat, sleep, seek companionship, and protect oneself- those sorts of things.”</p><p>Akira has a bad feeling about this. “What… what are you trying to say?”</p><p>Morgana sighs. “If all of those yearnings were to vanish, they’d be no different from someone who’s shut down entirely. They may even die if they’re not given proper care.”</p><p>“They could <em> die?! </em> ” Akira squeaks. <em> No way, no way, no way! </em> </p><p>“I-I’m not done explaining, my lady!” Morgana protests. “I mean to say, that… it sounds like you two are in a bad way. Aren’t you determined enough to face those kinds of risks?”</p><p>“I’m not willing to kill someone!” Akira cries, her voice high-pitched with panic. She sits down in one of the folding chairs, trembling. </p><p>She’s suddenly aware that Ryuji hasn’t said anything since Morgana’s revelation. Akira looks up at him and sees his face, his mouth set into a grim line.</p><p>“…You’re not <em> thinking </em> about it?” Akira asks.</p><p>Ryuji scuffs his shoe along the ground, thumbs in his pants pockets. “You don’t understan’,” he mutters. “This guy… he ruined my whole life, he ruined any chance I had of havin’ a future. I’d do <em> anythin’ </em> to get back at him.” He looks into Akira’s eyes, and she sees a brief glimpse of inner turmoil; hate and regret, guilt and rage. Akira realizes he’s right; she <em> doesn’t </em> understand. Especially not the hate and anger; those were feelings that had become… unfamiliar to her, through some chain of events she’s yet to understand.</p><p>In her gut, she feels Lilith hiss, trying to connect to that rage, but she pushes it down; she’s not sure she <em> wants </em> to understand the kind of emotions she saw burning in Ryuji’s eyes. “I… I appreciate that, I’m… I’m trying to understand,” Akira mumbles. “But I… if you don’t care about killing him, I… I don’t think I can be a part of this.”</p><p>Morgana sighs. “You’re so kind, Lady Akira. But believe me, Kamoshida doesn’t deserve a drop of it. I’ve seen more of his twisted Palace than I ever wanted to.” They stretch again, yawning. “Well, if you’re not sure today, I won’t force you. I’ll find you two tomorrow, try to make up your minds by then.”</p><p>They scamper off, leaving the two of them alone.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akira and Ryuji part without much more than a “seeya” from Ryuji. Akira is tired from her mild panic attack, but she’s snapped out of her mindless daze when she hears a familiar voice.</p><p>“Will you please give it a rest?! I told you, I’m not feeling up to it!” Takamaki is talking on the phone, holding her bag close with one arm while her other hand holds her phone. “…Wait, what?! That’s not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher?!”</p><p>Akira feels her stomach twist, but she stays put, listening in despite herself. “This has nothing to do with Shiho! I-” A hangup sound beeps from her phone. Takamaki’s eyes go wide, and she stays still in shock, before she sinks into a crouch, putting her hands over her face, shocking Akira.</p><p>Lilith murmurs something indecipherable; <em> blood on white sheets, many-headed snakes crying for their mother, </em> and Akira finds herself walking towards Takamaki before she can stop herself. “…Are you alright?” she asks.</p><p>Takamaki shoots up, stepping away with grace that surprises Akira for how upset she obviously is. “Huh?! Were you listening?!”</p><p>“I-I’m sorry, I just… happened to overhear,” Akira mumbles.</p><p>Takamaki opens her mouth, then closes it again. She wipes her eyes, shining with quickly-overflowing tears. “…How much did you hear?”</p><p>“…Enough, I think,” Akira says quietly. “Something about a friend.”</p><p>“Shiho…” Takamaki blinks hard, several times. “I…”</p><p>A few excited yells come from behind them, and Akira winces. “Let’s go somewhere quiet,” she mumbles, Lilith lending her words, but unable to strengthen her voice. <em> Not yet, anyway. </em></p><p>“Why…” Takamaki shakes her head. “I don’t get it… but okay. Um, there’s a Big Bang Burger down Central Street.”</p><p>Akira nods and lets Takamaki lead the way. They sit at a booth in the far corner, Takamaki ordering water while Akira copies her.</p><p>“…I don’t get why you’re being so nice,” Takamaki mutters after some silence. “It was… just an argument…”</p><p>“…With Kamoshida?” Akira asks.</p><p>Takamaki’s eyes go wide, before she hides her gaze, looking down into her glass. “…You’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you?” she mumbles. “About me and Kamoshida-sensei… Everyone says… we’re getting it on… but that’s <em> so </em> not true!” She fidgets with her napkin, twisting it between two fingers. “That was him… on the other line… I avoided giving him my number… for the longest time… He told me to… to go to his place, tonight.” She grabs the napkin, squeezing it hard, her desperate frustration evident in every line of her body; her hands, her shoulders, her hunched back. “You know what that means.”</p><p>Akira feels her gut twist painfully, and she lowers her head, the look of suppressed agony hinted at what she can see of Takamaki’s face too much to bear.</p><p>“If I turn him down… he said he’d take my friend off as a regular on the team…” She takes a shaky breath. “She always says volleyball is… all she has… I’ve been telling myself this is all for Shiho’s sake… I can’t take it anymore! I hate him! But still… I love Shiho… She’s all <em> I </em> have left at that sorry excuse of a school!”</p><p>Akira feels a pang of two emotions; one she expects, one she doesn’t. She feels sympathy, of course, but also… <em> jealousy, </em> something she doesn’t understand, and makes her feel worse.</p><p>
  <em> How could I be jealous of her? She has Kamoshida breathing down her neck, rumors, a friend who’s… oh. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Of course. </em>
</p><p><em> Ann has a </em> friend <em> ; not just a friend, but someone she’s even </em> considering <em> dealing with </em> that man <em> for. And… she has someone to protect. Whereas, I… I can’t even get mad… about these things, not even about the things </em> I’ve <em> been through…  </em></p><p>
  <em> What would it be like, I wonder…  </em>
</p><p>Ann sniffles again, breaking Akira out of her thoughts. “Tell me… what should I do?”</p><p>Akira realizes she’s pulling on her hair as she feels pain in her scalp, and lets go of her hair, sinking her hands into the fabric of her skirt. They tremble, and she hears her heart beating fast, pumping her with adrenaline that she lets sit, building in her gut like a cousin to fear.</p><p>“S… sorry… I shouldn’t have asked… it’s my problem.” Takamaki wipes her eyes again, tears on her fingers shining in the sunset’s light from behind her. “What… what am I saying? I’ve barely even talked to you before! Ha… haha…” She looks Akira in the eyes, and she sees Takamaki’s emotions on her, plain as day. <em> Sadness, fear, loneliness… desperation to be acknowledged. </em> Akira feels a strange spark of kinship between them, even though they couldn’t be more different.</p><p>“Sorry for… getting into your business,” Akira mumbles.</p><p>“No, it’s okay,” Takamaki sighs, then gives Akira a tiny smile. “Y’know, it’s weird… talking to you, I feel… seen, understood. Which just sounds weird, probably.” She wipes her eyes again. “Most people just ignore me… I… I think I’m glad you didn’t.”</p><p>“…If you’re glad, then I’m glad I could help,” Akira replies, trying to give her a smile in return. </p><p>Takamaki smiles a bit wider, then frowns again. “…Are you really like what the rumors say?” She shakes her head. “I guess that’s a bad question… there are so many different ones, after all.”</p><p>Akira nods. She tries her best not to listen in to other people’s conversations, but it’s hard to tune things out when she’s tired, and most of what people were talking about, was her.</p><p>
  <em> “Is that her? She’s so unfairly pretty, for a whore…” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I heard she carries a knife…” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “One of my friends saw her hanging out with Sakamoto, think they’re ‘doing it’?” </em>
</p><p><em> It doesn’t matter what others think of me, so long as they leave me alone, </em> Akira thinks. She’s used to the oppressive sensations of being in school with so many others; what’s a little more distrust and animosity, in the sea of other’s emotions she swims through each day, that others walk through like it didn’t exist?</p><p>After a moment, Akira speaks. “…What have you heard?”</p><p>Takamaki sighs. “All kinds of conflicting things… you’re dating Sakamoto-kun, you’re… selling yourself, you killed someone, you’re an assassin for hire…” She snorts. “Pretty ridiculous, when you think about it.”</p><p>“Assassin, huh?” Akira feels her mouth twitch upwards. “That’s a new one.”</p><p>Takamaki chuckles. “Yeah, I had a feeling they were all just exaggerations, if not just lies.” She takes a sip of water, her eyes still on Akira’s. “Seeing you at school, I thought… you seemed so lonely, and nervous, like… you didn’t belong anywhere. Like you didn’t know how to belong.”</p><p>
  <em> How to belong…  </em>
</p><p>“I think we’re the same in that regard,” Takamaki continues. “About… being out of place. Maybe that’s why it was so easy for me to talk to you… plus, you just… you seem like a kind person. Sweet, I suppose.” Takamaki smiles at her again, and Akira blushes despite herself.</p><p>Takamaki sighs again. “I’m rambling, aren’t I…”</p><p>“You can talk to me,” Akira murmurs. “I-If you want to, I mean.”</p><p>The blonde seems to take that as an invitation. “Is there really no way for me to help Shiho?” she wonders out loud. “I wish he’d just… change his mind. Like, forget about me, and everything…” She laughs dryly. “As if something like that would ever happen.”</p><p>Akira winces, Morgana’s words resurfacing in her mind. <em> If all those desires were to vanish… </em> </p><p>“…I don’t know what to tell you,” she mumbles.</p><p>“Heh. I wasn’t asking for a serious response.” Takamaki stretches, sighing again. “But, I do feel a bit better now. I’m gonna head home.” She shifts out of her booth seat, grabbing her bag, then looks intensely at Akira. “Don’t tell anyone what I told you, okay? I’ll try and think of a way to persuade Kamoshida.” She smiles at Akira one last time. “Thanks again.”</p><p>Akira nods in acknowledgement, and Takamaki leaves.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Shiho walks towards the school entrance, her head low. She starts when she hears Mishima’s voice behind her. “Suzui-san… Are you leaving?”</p><p>“…What is it?” she asks, dreading the answer. Mishima only talks to her about volleyball.</p><p>“Kamoshida-sensei’s asking for you… He’s in the PE faculty office.”</p><p>Ice slips down her spine, chilling her heart. “…What did he say?”</p><p>“Nothing. He… he seems really…” Mishima coughs and looks away. “I… I have to go.”</p><p>Mishima shuffles off, and Shiho allows herself a moment of fear; interrupted when she hears her phone ringing, with the tone she set to Ann’s number. “Ann… I’m sorry…”</p><p>
  <span>She lets it go to voicemail, before swallowing and walking solemnly towards her fate.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings:<br/>- Kamoshida, basically</p><p>Alright folks, this is when the shit hits the fans. Buckle up.</p><p>Original post date: 2021-04-11.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Horrors Of Our Lives</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As usual, warnings are in the end notes. But you already know what's coming.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You’re late,” Sakura says sharply as soon as Akira crosses the threshold. “Where have you been?”</p><p>“…I was hanging out with a friend,” she mumbles.</p><p>“That Ryuji boy?” Sakura asks suspiciously.</p><p>“…Yeah.”</p><p>Sakura sighs, shaking his head. “You oughta be careful who you hang around with. The only one you’re gonna hurt is yourself, got it?”</p><p>“Yes, sir.”</p><p>He sighs again. “Enough with the sir… God, look at the time. Think about how I feel having to stay here waiting for you.”</p><p>“I-I’m sorry, Boss,” Akira mumbles, bowing deeply at the waist. “I, I, I really appreciate what you’ve done for me, I’m sorry I’m so-” She cuts herself off, unsure what she was going to say.</p><p>Sakura raises an eyebrow. “Well, if you’re that eager to prove yourself, I suppose I can let you off the hook,” he mutters. “I’m locking up and leaving. Stay in your room, as usual.”</p><p>“Yes, Boss.”</p><p>Akira watches him leave, then heads up to her room. She pulls off her clothes and gets into her pajamas, then flops onto her bed, emotionally drained. She checks her phone, and makes a noise of disappointment when she sees that Ryuji hasn’t texted her since the time in class. His texting was near-constant after they exchanged numbers, and she can’t help but wonder if he’s mad at her for what she said on the rooftop.</p><p>Worries swirl in her head, and she falls asleep into horrific, familiar nightmares.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“I assume all of you know about the separation of powers,” Ushimaru lectures, his tone sharp and commanding. His voice wears on Akira’s frayed nerves, too distracted by everything to even read her textbooks (though she was several chapters ahead in all of her classes). “There are three branches in our government. The National Diet is legislative, the Cabinet is executive, and the Supreme Court is judiciary. This division of power provides checks and balances, which ensures no one branch becomes unstoppable.”</p><p>Morgana pokes their head out of Akira’s desk, and she nearly jumps out of her skin. “Have you made up your mind?” they ask, whispering. “There’s only one option, you know. You’d be better off just listening to me, my lady.”</p><p>“Shhh,” she hisses.</p><p>“Hm? Did I hear a cat just now?” Ushimaru frowns, tapping his finger against his forearms. “Could that rumored cat be somewhere nearby?”</p><p>Morgana tenses, then shoves themself into the back of Akira’s desk. The students around her start murmuring, a few glancing in Akira’s direction.</p><p>“Settle down!” Ushimaru snaps. “We’re in the middle of an important lecture!”</p><p>Akira’s phone buzzes, and has to restrain herself from snatching it out of her bag. Instead, she slides it out slowly, hiding it behind her desk. It’s Ryuji.</p><p>SR: sorry i kinda ignored you yesterday</p><p>SR: kamoshida just makes me so mad</p><p>SR: but we shouldnt let an asshole like him get between us</p><p>KA: You’re right. I’m sorry too.</p><p>SR: you got nothing to apollogize for</p><p>SR: as much as i hate him, i wouldnt force you to do that unless you were sure</p><p>SR: and thinking about it, it would just make us the same as him</p><p>SR: sneaking around and hurting people without a care</p><p>SR: you ok?</p><p>KA: Yeah, just…</p><p>“Wait… She’s going to jump!”</p><p>Akira’s head snaps up, and she sees people pointing out the windows, where she sees a girl standing on the roof, very much on the wrong side of the safety fence.</p><p>
  <em> Oh my God. That’s Suzui. </em>
</p><p>“Shiho!” Takamaki slides out of her chair and dashes to the door, even as Ushimaru yells for people not to do just that. Terror shoots through Akira’s heart like a bullet, and before she knows what she’s doing, she’s following after her.</p><p>Takamaki presses her face against the window, and Akira stares up at Suzui from behind her, just in time to make out her face, blank and staring at the ground below her; before she falls forward, like a puppet whose strings were cut.</p><p>“NO!” Takamaki screams, her voice rising above the shrieks of their classmates, backing away from the windows, her hands to her face, shuddering in horror. “No… Shiho, why?! Shiho!” She runs, brushing past Akira, who falls onto her rear, weak as a feather after what she’d just witnessed.</p><p>“Aki!” Ryuji’s voice breaks into her swirling, dangerous thoughts, the blonde skidding to a halt before her. “Are you okay?! What’s goin’ on?!”</p><p>Akira points to the courtyard mutely, where a crowd was already starting to form.</p><p>“W-we gotta go see,” he mutters. “Need a hand?” Akira reaches out her hand tentatively, and Ryuji pulls her to her feet.</p><p>The doors to the courtyard are clogged, but when the other students see Ryuji, they practically clear a path for him. Akira follows and receives much of the same treatment.</p><p>The glitter of phones out, people snapping pictures, makes Akira’s breakfast churn in her gut. “What the hell’s wrong with these people?!” Ryuji snarls.</p><p>In front of them, Shiho is being put onto a stretcher, medics in green clothes and face masks murmuring. “We need someone to go with her,” one of them says, raising his voice. “Are there any teachers around?”</p><p>“I-I’m not in charge of her class, though…”</p><p>“We should leave this to Principal Kobayakawa.”</p><p>
  <em> What the hell is WRONG with them?! </em>
</p><p>“I’ll go!” Takamaki cries, her voice breaking. She kneels down next to Shiho, stumbling with panic. Akira can barely make out her whisper, “Shiho… why…?”</p><p>“Ann…?” Suzui’s voice trembles, weak and shaking. “I… I’m sorry… I can’t… I can’t take this anymore…”</p><p>“Shiho…?” Takamaki leans closer, tilting her head to hear her. Even Akira can’t make out what she says, but Takamaki reacts; going still like a statue, before turning her head to face Suzui again. “Kamoshida…?!”</p><p>Suzui goes limp, her head falling against the stretcher. “No! Shiho!” Takamaki cries. “Wake up, please! Please! <em> Shiho! </em>”</p><p>Akira looks away, trembling, so she only hears the rustling of movement, and the ambulance sirens starting up. “Suzui… She’s on the volleyball team…” Ryuji mutters. </p><p>“She said… something about Kamoshida…” Akira whimpers.</p><p>Someone brushes between the two of them, and Akira sees that it’s Mishima, running like his life depends on it. “That guy…” Ryuji hisses. “He has to know something! I’m gonna make him talk this time!”</p><p>Ryuji dashes off after him, bum leg be damned, barely aware of Akira following him. He grabs Mishima’s wrist when he tries to turn the corner, dragging him over to the lockers. </p><p>“Ow! Th-that hurts!” he complains.</p><p>“Why’d you run like that? Huh?!” Ryuji gets up in his personal space, making him step back. “Tell me, <em> now! </em>”</p><p>“I d-didn’t…!”</p><p>Ryuji slammed the lockers beside him with his fist, anger burning hotter than any pain he could feel. “<em> She jumped and tried to kill herself! </em>”</p><p>“Leave… leave me alone…” Mishima whimpers. Ryuji has a flash of conflicting emotions, seeing Mishima look so dejected. <em> I wonder… is this what </em> he <em> sees, before… </em> </p><p>Akira breaks in softly. “Do you know something?” she asks, quiet but firm.</p><p>“S-she’s right,” Ryuji adds. “I’m not tryin’ to hurt ya. We won’t say you talked, neither!”</p><p>Mishima hugs himself, his eyes downcast. “Suzui…” He covers his head with his hands, like he’s waiting for another ball to slam him in the face. “She… she was called out by Kamoshida-sensei!”</p><p>“…Wait, what?!” Ryuji frowns. </p><p>“I… I was called by him a number of times, as well… to the teacher’s room,” Mishima mumbles, his voice hollow. “It wasn’t just me or Suzui either… he’d nominate someone when he was in a bad mood… and hit them. But, yesterday… he called Suzui out of the blue… she didn’t make any mistakes or anything…! Kamoshida-sensei seemed really irritated that day… so it must’ve been… worse than usual…”</p><p>Ryuji hears Akira cry out, her voice drenched in fear. He turns to see her shaking, and she backs away, staring at Mishima, wide-eyed.</p><p>
  <em> No… he didn’t…! </em>
</p><p>“<em> That son of a bitch! </em>” Ryuji feels his anger roar inside of him like the sound of thunder, and before he knows it, he’s running, off to the very office where it must have happened.</p><p>Lilith roars to life inside Akira’s mind, screaming for blood. “I-I have to go after him,” she mutters, clenching down on her fear, not quite ready to feel her anger. She turns and dashes after Ryuji, adrenaline making her faster, and she’s aware of Mishima running behind her.</p><p>Ryuji flies up the stairs, and they make it up just in time to see him burst open the door to the P.E. faculty office. “You bastard!” Akira hears Ryuji yell. “The hell did you do to that girl?!” A pause, then an almighty <em> CRASH, </em> and “Don’t play dumb with me!”</p><p>Akira leans against the doorframe, breathing heavily, taking in a knocked-over chair and Ryuji; his fists balled up at his sides.</p><p>“That is enough,” Akira hears Kamoshida say; he’s turned to face Ryuji now, contempt on his face. “You keep this up, and you’ll have hell to pay.”</p><p>“What you did… wasn’t coaching…” Mishima mutters, his voice trembling.</p><p>“What was that?”</p><p>“You…” Mishima puts his head in his hands, refusing to look Kamoshida in the eyes. “You ordered me to call Suzui here… I can only imagine what you did to her…!”</p><p>Kamoshida sighs, standing up out of his chair. Akira shrinks back, trying to make herself as small as possible. “You’re going on and on about things you have no proof of,” he says. “Basically, you’re simply making these claims because you can’t be a regular on the team, right?”</p><p>“That’s not what this is about!” Mishima replies, his voice stronger than Akira has ever heard it.</p><p>“Even if it is exactly as you imagine it to be, hypothetically speaking…” Kamoshida smirks, just for the flash of a moment. “What can you do? We just received a call from the hospital. Suzui’s in a coma, and her chances of recovery are slim… How would someone like that make a statement?”</p><p>Akira whimpers. “Suzui-san… Takamaki-san…”</p><p>“There’s no chance of her getting better, I hear,” Kamoshida continues, his voice dripping with false sincerity. “Oh, the poor girl…”</p><p>“No… That can’t be…!” Mishima whispers.</p><p>Ryuji starts trembling, looking like he’s fighting to hold himself back. “You… goddamn…!”</p><p>Kamoshida rolls his eyes. “This again? Do we need to have yet another case of ‘self-defense’?”</p><p>“<em> You shut your mouth, you son of a bitch! </em>”</p><p>Akira cries out as Ryuji winds back, making him jump and turn to her. “Stop, <em> please </em>!” she begs.</p><p>“Oh? You’re stopping him?” Kamoshida’s gaze turns to Akira, and she whimpers in fear, aware that she’s shaking, but unable to stop. “What a thoughtful girl you are, Kurusu-san. It’s a shame you’re going to be expelled.”</p><p>“Expelled?!” Ryuji echoes, his voice fearful. </p><p>“That’s right. All of you here will be expelled; I’m reporting you at the next board meeting.”</p><p>“You can’t do that…!” Mishima protests.</p><p>“Who would seriously consider what scum like you say?” Kamoshida crosses his arms, glaring at Mishima before turning his eyes back to Akira. “And to think, perhaps you’d have been able to turn things around, Kurusu-san… I could still help you with that, you know.”</p><p>Lilith rears up inside her, but Akira is paralyzed in fear, her thoughts racing. “Don’t you <em> dare </em>!” Ryuji growls. </p><p>Kamoshida sighs. “She’ll come around. In the meantime…” He turns to Mishima, who takes a step back. “How awful that Kurusu-san’s new school was already so full of rumors about her. You act like you’re a victim, Mishima, but you leaked her record, didn’t you?”</p><p>Ryuji turns to Mishima, his face shocked. “Mishima…? What did you…?”</p><p>“He… told me to…” Mishima looks away. “I had no choice…”</p><p>Kamoshida sits back down at his desk, rubbing his neck nonchalantly. “Are we finished with the dramatics already? I have important work to do, supporting those students who actually deserve to be here.”</p><p>“I can’t believe this asshole’s gettin’ away with this!” Ryuji yells. Akira winces at his volume.</p><p>“We can’t give in,” she mutters, lowering her voice. “We… we have no choice, now.”</p><p>Ryuji’s eyes widen in recognition. “Right! We have that!”</p><p>“Have you lost your minds?” Kamoshida turns back to them, still sitting in his chair. “You kids aren’t making any sense, but sure, go ahead and try.”</p><p>Akira hears Shadow Kamoshida’s words echo in her mind. <em> Come at me whenever you want… if you don’t care about the consequences! </em></p><p>“C’mon, let’s go,” Ryuji mutters. “There’s nothin’ but scum here.”</p><p>As they leave, Akira swears she hears Shadow Kamoshida laugh.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryuji and Akira head back to the courtyard, Ryuji fuming the whole way. Morgana follows them; Akira remembers seeing them, watching them talk to Mishima and Kamoshida.</p><p>“We can’t waste any time,” Ryuji growls. “We gotta hurry and go to that world and beat the <em> shit </em> outta that asshole!”</p><p>“We’re not beating him up,” Morgana reminds him. “We’re simply stealing his distorted desires.” They turn to Akira, flicking their ears. “Can I assume that you’ve made up your mind, then - that you’re willing to accept the possibilities?”</p><p>Akira is silent, thinking how to explain it. “…I think I am willing,” she mumbles. “After everything that’s happened… stopping him is the most important thing.”</p><p>“Well, there you have it,” Morgana says with a nod.</p><p>“How hard is this gonna be?” Ryuji asks. “How much danger are we gonna be puttin’ ourselves in?”</p><p>“I’m not quite sure,” Morgana admits. “Palaces are full of surprises. We should prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.” They turn in place, taking a quick glance around, before looking back at Ryuji. “I didn’t even make it halfway through before getting caught. It’ll be a bit harder to be stealthy with more members, but we’ll be making things easier overall by multitudes.”</p><p>“…Wait a sec.” Ryuji rubs the back of his head. “If you only made it halfway, how’d you get through other Palaces? Did you have a team of some kind?”</p><p>Morgana goes silent. “…I don’t remember,” they admit after a pause. “I know these things, I know them for absolute certain, but… I don’t know how I know them.”</p><p>“So, you have amnesia?” Akira asks gently.</p><p>“I guess? My first specific memory was waking up in the Metaverse, near the entrance of Mementos… Argh, it doesn’t matter right now!” Morgana sits up straighter. “What’s important now is-”</p><p>“Is it true that you’re getting expelled?”</p><p>Takamaki’s voice breaks into their conversation. Akira starts at the unexpected voice, then turns to her, while Ryuji growls. “That asshole’s at it again…” he mutters. “You came all this way just to ask us that?”</p><p>Takamaki takes a deep breath, her hands balled into fists. “If you’re going to deal with Kamoshida… let me in on it, too.”</p><p>Ryuji starts, as does Morgana, but Akira doesn’t react. <em> I should have seen this coming, honestly. </em></p><p>“I can’t just sit back and do nothing after what happened to Shiho!” Takamaki cries, her voice strained with overuse; probably from crying.</p><p>“What we’re doing is-” Ryuji cuts himself off, then glares at the ground. “…It’s got nothing to do with you.”</p><p>“Ryuji-kun!” Akira cries. Takamaki just stares at him, her eyes wide.</p><p>“You…” She takes another deep breath, but this one shudders, her eyes burning. “I thought you might still be the person I knew before… but I guess you’ve changed for the worse, <em> Sakamoto. </em>” She spits the last word out like a vile taste, then turns on her heel and walks away, barely-suppressed rage easy to read.</p><p>“…That was… harsh,” Morgana notes.</p><p>Ryuji sighs, folding his arms. “We can’t take her somewhere like that,” he mutters. “Even if she hates me now… at least I won’t have to… worry about protecting her ass.” He glances away, kicking his foot out restlessly.</p><p>“I hope she doesn’t do anything too crazy,” Morgana sighs. “She’s obviously upset, and people do rash things when they’re upset.”</p><p>“We’d better get moving,” Akira mumbles, wanting to move the conversation to <em> anything </em> but this. Ryuji and Morgana nod.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>They meet up outside the school, in the alleyway where Akira and Ryuji first entered the Metaverse. “The moment we cross over, we’ll be working together as phantom thieves, so I hope you’re ready,” Morgana says as Akira pulls out her phone.</p><p>“…Phantom thieves?” Akira asks.</p><p>“Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal Treasure - that is what we shall become!”</p><p>“That sounds kinda cool!” Ryuji replies. “So, we just gotta say the school, Kamsoshida’s name, and… ‘castle’? Then we end up in bizzaro world.” He pulls out his own phone, glancing down at it. “How the hell’s all this work? Someone make it?”</p><p>“…I suppose,” Akira mumbles. <em> Though I don’t think you want to know who it is. </em> “I don’t think we have the luxury to worry about it, though.”</p><p>“Suppose you’re right. C’mon, let’s get moving.” Ryuji waits for the other two to nod before tapping the bookmark on his phone. Akira winces at the feeling of shifting, the world shimmering before their eyes, red and black waves crawling across her vision. <em> I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this. </em> They walk over to the castle, Ryuji and Akira putting their phones away, and Ryuji glares up at the Palace. “It’s time to get that effin’ Kamoshida!”</p><p>“What is this?!”</p><p>The three of them start as Takamaki’s voice comes from behind them, and Akira turns to see her, standing just outside of the alleyway. She stares at the castle behind them, walking towards it slowly.</p><p>“T-Takamaki?!” Ryuji yelps in surprise.</p><p>The blonde starts, looking at them like she’s only just noticed them. “That voice… Sakamoto?! And are you Kurusu-kun?!”</p><p>“Wh-wh-why are you here?” Ryuji demands. </p><p>“How should I know?!” Takamaki looks around, taking in the darkened sky and lack of people. “What’s going on?! Where are we?! Isn’t this the school?!</p><p>“Perhaps she was dragged in because she was near us when we activated the app,” Morgana murmurs. </p><p>“That doesn’t make sense,” Akira says quietly. “We activated the app the second time with a bunch of people around us, and they didn’t get dragged in.”</p><p>“Hmm, maybe then…” Morgana shakes their head. “That’s not important right now.”</p><p>“Anyways, you gotta leave!” Ryuji breaks in, looking at Takamaki.</p><p>“No!” she protests.</p><p>“The Shadows are going to find us if you make a scene!” Morgana hisses.</p><p>“No way! It talked?!” Takamaki stares at Morgana. “Oh my God, it’s a monster cat!”</p><p>“I am not a cat!” Morgana protests.</p><p>Takamaki turns back to Sakamoto. “You better explain what’s going on! I won’t leave until you do!”</p><p>“We don’t have time for that,” Akira mutters.</p><p>“Looks like we gotta force her, then,” Ryuji sighs. “I’ll just take her back to where she came in.”</p><p>“Wait, what’re you-”</p><p>Ryuji grabs Takamaki’s hand, pulling her over near the alleyway, then shoves her into it. She disappears with a <em> vworp </em> before she can even properly react, and Akira sighs. “Ryuji-kun…”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Ryuji rolls his shoulder, looking away. “We’d better be careful when we use that app from now on.”</p><p>Morgana sighs. “I suppose I can’t blame you for not understanding how it works… Anyway, the Shadows have noticed us. We’d better brace ourselves. Oh, and one more thing - we need code names.”</p><p>“Code names?” Akira tilts her head.</p><p>“That’s right, my lady. No phantom thief would use their real name - plus, we have no idea what effect yelling our real names would have on Kamoshida’s cognition.” Morgana nods to themself. “I’ll be Chief, for obvious reasons.”</p><p>Ryuji shakes his head. “Hell nah. If anyone’s our leader, it’s Akiaki. She’s easily the smartest out of us, after all.”</p><p>Morgana growls. “I’m plenty smart!”</p><p>“I’m not sayin’ you ain’t, I’m just sayin’ Aki’s smarter.” Ryuji sighs. “Seriously, why ya gotta be so bossy? You’re like a damn drill sergeant!”</p><p>Morgana falls silent, thinking. “…That’s actually a pretty good name,” they admit. “I’ll be Sergeant, then! Or Sarge for short.” </p><p>Ryuji scratches at the back of his head. “That ain’t really… Ah, whatever. Sarge it is. Beats callin’ ya Chief.”</p><p>Morgana rolls their eyes, but continues. “Next up is you, Ryuji. You’ll be… hmm… Pirate!”</p><p>“What?! Hell no! If you’re gonna pick something so lame, I’ll choose it myself!” Ryuji taps his foot, thinking. “For me, it’s gotta be somethin’ based on this mask. How ‘bout Skull?”</p><p>“That sounds cool,” Akira offers.</p><p>“Hell yeah! It sounds awesome! I’m Skull!” Ryuji pumps his fist. “Last but not least, Akiaki.”</p><p>“She just <em> has </em> to be Lady, with that gorgeous dress,” Morgana says happily.</p><p>“Uh, nope, I’m not calling her what you call her.” Ryuji rubs the back of his head. “Maybe… something based on her Persona?”</p><p>“Well, her Persona is Lilith…” Morgana puts a paw to their chin, thinking. </p><p>“Adam’s first wife,” Akira notes.</p><p>“You mean like Adam and Eve?” Ryuji frowns, remembering, before his face lights up in inspiration. “Oh! Dude, we can call you Eve!”</p><p>“Eve, huh?” Morgana nods. “I like it. Very dignified, just like her.”</p><p>“…You think I’m dignified?” Akira asks softly, frowning.</p><p>“Yes, my lady!” Morgana bows deeply. “So quiet and respectful, and you say the wisest things!”</p><p>Akira blushes despite herself, not used to being so genuinely complimented. “Quit it,” Ryuji growls. “You’re makin’ her uncomfortable.”</p><p>“A-am I?!” Morgana’s eyes go wide. “Um, anyway! You fine with being called Eve, m-my lady?”</p><p>“…It’s great,” Akira says honestly. “And, you didn’t make me uncomfortable.”</p><p>“M-my lady is so gracious,” Morgana mumbles, turning away from her shyly. “A-anyway! We have to be absolutely thorough about using these code names from now on, got it?!”</p><p>“Yeah, sure, Sarge,” Ryuji says with a sigh. “Let’s get going.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings:<br/>- Suicide attempt<br/>- Teacher trying to pressure a student into relations</p><p>And there you have it, folks. I hope I did these scenes justice.<br/>Changing Akira's code name is pretty obvious considering how different she is from Akiren, but Morgana's name changing might be a bit of a surprise. I decided to change their code name because I think Mona is stupid and not fitting at all (it's literally just a mispronunciation of their name!), and in this house we respect Morgana.<br/>Eve is a great name because, like I've said before, in some myths Lilith is the snake that tempts Eve, and Lilith as Akira's Persona is the one who tempted her into her original sin; she bade her bite the fruit of knowledge. Plus Akira herself is still more "innocent" than Lilith is, if that makes sense? Meanwhile, I decided on Sarge because Morgana is their teacher, not their leader, but they're also strict, but they're strict because they care!<br/>(Ramble incoming) Seriously though, Morgana and Ryuji get treated like crap by the narrative, all for the butt of "hee hee punk boy and cat fight" jokes. They're great characters who had so much more potential than they live up to. That applies to... a lot of P5, actually. We just can't have nice things apparently. (Who else wants to make an indie game inspired by P5 that focuses on teenagers getting superpowers and going feral with it because they've never had agency in their lives? None of that stupid Yaldagor intrigue shit, just teenagers making bad decisions in incredibly cathartic ways.)<br/>As a side note: PLEASE let me know if you think there are things in this or any other chapter I should warn for that I've missed.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Anger Like Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As usual, warnings are in the end notes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em> Praise be to King Kamoshida! Death to the intruders! </em>”</p><p>As soon as they’re in through their infiltration point, Akira hears the sound of Shadows clamoring in the entrance hall. Morgana gestures for them to follow them, and they hide by the edge of the doorway, listening.</p><p>“Those intruders the other day were quite entertaining,” came Shadow Kamoshida’s voice, making Akira start despite herself. “However, I can’t allow trash like them to ransack my castle! Strengthen the security! Kill the boy and the cat on sight; bring the handmaiden directly to me. I’ll reward whoever does so.”</p><p>The Shadows respond with the same cheer as before, and Ryuji growls. “Hey, Sarge. Can’t we just beat the crap out of him and call it a day?”</p><p>Morgana shakes their head. “Even if there was a point to it, look at all those soldiers! It’d be… um, a bad decision.” They pause, probably avoiding the word ‘suicide’. “And we want him to confess his deeds. To do that, we need to steal his materialized desires… the Treasure.”</p><p>“Treasure, huh?” Akira tilts her head. “Actually, can you explain later? We might get caught if we hang around here.”</p><p>“Good point. I’ll tell you at the next safe room we find.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ann stares up at the castle, then back at her phone. “What the hell’s up with this app?” she wonders out loud. <em> I found it on my phone… and just said the words Sakamoto said, and ended up back here. Where are those two? Or three, counting the weird cat thing. </em></p><p>“<em> Princess?! </em>” </p><p>Hulking suits of armor run towards her, clanking loudly. “Huh?!” Ann backs away, but the suits surround her.</p><p>“<em> Princess! You must come back to King Kamoshida at once! </em>” </p><p>“Wait, <em> King </em> Kamoshida?! What the hell?!”</p><p>“<em> She’s confused! We have to bring her back! </em>” Two of the suits pick her up effortlessly, and she yells, forgetting in her panic that no one was around in this strange world.</p><p>“Put me down, you jerks! Someone help!”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akira winces as they approach the safe room. “What’s wrong, A- Eve?” Ryuji asks, correcting himself.</p><p>“I thought I heard… a girl scream…” she mumbles. “I suppose that’s not that unusual for this place…”</p><p>“I guess,” Ryuji mutters.</p><p>“Alright, let’s get in there and discuss our plan,” Morgana breaks in, seemingly oblivious of the conversation they were having. Akira opens the door, and the three slip inside, Ryuji closing the door behind them.</p><p>“Alright, so, you asked about the Treasure,” Morgana says, hopping onto a table. “All Palaces have a single Treasure - the core of the Palace’s distortion. Remove it, and the Palace crumbles - as well as the Ruler’s distorted desires.”</p><p>“So, all we gotta do is steal this Treasure thingy?” Ryuji asks.</p><p>“Well, that’s simplifying a lot,” Morgana admits. “We have to find an infiltration route, first; a way to get to the Treasure. Then, once we do that, we send a calling card, to make the Treasure materialize.”</p><p>“Callin’ card?” Ryuji frowns. “Sounds cool, but uh, what does that do?”</p><p>“Desires have no physical form by nature,” Morgana continues. “In order to actually steal it, the Treasure has to materialize; and to do that, we need to change the Ruler’s cognition to make them aware that their desires can be stolen. They’ll naturally be protective of their desires, making them manifest as a Treasure.” </p><p>“Makes sense,” Akira mumbles.</p><p>“Uh, if you say so,” Ryuji says. “I guess I don’t gotta understand the why, just the how.”</p><p>Morgana rolls their eyes. “Well, is everyone ready to continue?”</p><p>“Wait a sec,” Akira interrupts. “Someone’s coming.” </p><p>“<em> Still, why was the princess in such an odd place? </em> ” a voice, that of a Shadow, comes from behind the safe room door. “ <em> I could have sworn we were pursuing the readings of an intruder… </em>”</p><p>“<em> It doesn’t matter now, </em> ” a slightly different voice responds. “ <em> We must take her back to King Kamoshida! </em>”</p><p>“Who’s this ‘princess’ they’re talkin’ about?” Ryuji asks.</p><p>“I’ll go check,” Morgana says. “You two stay here.” They leap for the door handle, opening it slightly and dropping back to the ground silently.</p><p>Ryuji and Akira wait silently. “…You look like you got somethin’ to say,” Ryuji guesses, looking at Akira.</p><p>Akira tugs on her hair. “…They said ‘readings of an intruder’, right?” she mumbles.</p><p>“You don’t think-”</p><p>“This is bad!” Morgana runs back to them, wide-eyed. “Your friend, Takamaki! She’s been taken by Shadows!”</p><p>“Wait, what?!” Ryuji yelps. “But she left the Metaverse!”</p><p>“Maybe she has the app,” Akira guesses.</p><p>“Oh crap… Don’t tell me it got put on her phone just like mine?!” Ryuji growls. “Dammit! We let her out for her own safety, and she just came back in by herself!”</p><p>“We’d better go help her,” Akira says, her voice nervous.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ann is carried through the castle, panicking too much to take in any sort of escape route.</p><p>“Ugh, let me go! What’s wrong with-” Ann cuts herself off as one of the suits opens the next door, revealing a sight she is <em> not </em> prepared for.</p><p>Girls in gym shorts and nothing else lay about the room, glowing pink in an uncanny way, moaning noisily in pleasure. They have no distinguishing features between them; all identical, like dolls pressed from plastic. Ann can’t even tell what their skin color is; and worst of all, they have no faces.</p><p>The suits ignore the girls, carrying Ann over to a cross-shaped device. They lock her into it, ignoring her protests.</p><p>“What the hell is going on here?!” Ann struggles against her restraints, glaring at the suits of armor. “Seriously, I’m gonna call the cops!”</p><p>“<em> P-princess, please be calm! King Kamoshida will be here any moment! </em>”</p><p>“Stop <em> saying </em> that!” she snaps. “I’m not a princess, and Kamoshida sure as <em> hell </em> isn’t a king!”</p><p>“So, this is the intruder.”</p><p>Ann stares in disbelief as Kamoshida walks into the room, clad in… nothing but a heart-patterned cape and pink underwear. A girl who looks exactly like herself, but wearing an outfit that makes her blush just by association, follows him, looking at him adoringly. “Kamoshida?!” she yelps. “And who’s <em> that?! </em> Wait, more importantly, <em> what the hell is going on?! </em> Why’s the school turned into something like this?!”</p><p>Kamoshida ignores her completely. “I can’t believe you mistook <em> my </em> Ann for someone like her,” he sighs.</p><p>“What the hell do you mean, <em> my </em> Ann?!” Ann demands. “And what the hell’s up with that outfit?! Have you lost your mind?!”</p><p>Kamoshida turns to look at her, chuckling. “I do as I please. After all, this is my castle… The world of <em> my </em> desires.”</p><p>“What the hell are you going on about?!”</p><p>“What a lively slave,” Kamoshida chuckles.</p><p>“Argh!” Ann pulls against the restraints, anger fueling her struggle. “This isn’t funny! Enough of the bullshit, Kamoshida!”</p><p>Kamoshida turns to the Ann-lookalike. “This girl’s decided to tell me off. What do you think of that?”</p><p>The girl blinks slowly, her eyes never more than half-open, a lazy, almost drugged-looking smile on her face. “Talking back is, like… totally unforgivable.”</p><p>Kamoshida smiles creepily at her response. “In that case, she should be executed.”</p><p>“WHAT?!” Ann presses herself against the back of the frame in fear, watching a golden knight approach her with its sword drawn. “Hell no, hell no, <em> hell no! </em>”</p><p>Kamoshida chuckles at her reaction. “Now then, how should I play with you? Shall I tear you into little pieces?”</p><p>“Are you kidding me?!”</p><p>Kurusu, Sakamoto, and the weird cat thing burst in through the doors, stopping briefly to stare in horror at the doll-like girls before running over to Ann. “Takamaki!” Sakamoto yells.</p><p>“Ugh, just when I was starting to enjoy myself,” Kamoshida growls, turning towards the others.</p><p>“What’s the deal with this guy?!” Ann yells, looking towards Kurusu.</p><p>Kamoshida breaks in before they can answer. “How many times are you going to come back?” he sighs, then turns back to Ann. “I bet you’re just like those thieves. You came because you’re pissed at me, huh?”</p><p>“You <em> bet </em> I’m pissed! When I get out of here-”</p><p>“Oh, shut up,” Kamoshida says with a wave of his hand. “But anyway… ah, I forget that chick’s name, but it’s your fault she jumped, you know.”</p><p>
  <em> What…? </em>
</p><p>Kamoshida smirks. “You were so reluctant to throw yourself onto me that I had her take your place.”</p><p>“YOU BASTARD!” Ann screams, hatred coursing through her, setting her insides on fire with rage. She struggles against her restraints, freezing when the golden knight advances on her again.</p><p>“No!” Sakamoto yells, taking a fighting stance.</p><p>“Take one more step and I’ll kill her on the spot,” Kamoshida warns.</p><p>“Dammit…!” He hisses, stuttering in his steps and stopping short.</p><p>Kamoshida laughs. “Just sit back and enjoy the dismantlement show.” He chuckles to himself, his eyes going up and down Ann’s body. “Maybe…  I’ll start with her clothes…”</p><p>The lookalike giggles shrilly. “Oh, you’re such a perv, my king!”</p><p>“Oh shit, what’re we gonna do?!” Sakamoto glances back at Kurusu, before looking at Ann again. “Takamaki!”</p><p>Ann fights at her despair, but before long, she’s bowing her head, trying to hold on to her anger. <em> Is this… my punishment for what happened to Shiho? </em></p><p>“That’s more like it,” Kamoshida chuckles. “You should’ve looked like this from the start.”</p><p>“Shiho…” Ann can’t help but remember, images that happened only earlier that day, imprinted on her mind forever. “I’m so sorry…”</p><p>“Takamaki-san!” Kurusu’s voice rings out, and Ann looks up to see the dark-haired girl, her eyes burning behind her mask, even as she trembles. “Don’t give in… Remember who you’re fighting against!”</p><p>Ann swallows. “…You’re right,” she mutters. “Letting this piece of shit toy with me… What was I thinking?”</p><p>Kamoshida rolls his eyes, taking a few steps closer to her. “It’s like I always say. Slaves should just behave and-”</p><p>“<em> Shut. Up. </em>”</p><p>Ann glares at him, anger burning in her chest like hundreds of fiery suns, her face twisted into a furious grimace. “I’ve had enough of this… The things you’ve done, the way you think everything under the sun belongs to you… And Shiho…” Ann laughs dryly, feeling her anger reach its peak.</p><p>“<em> YOU’VE PISSED ME OFF, YOU SON OF A BITCH! </em>”</p><p>Fire scorches under her skin, pain stabbing her behind the eyes, making her jerk against her restraints. A voice echoes in her mind, clear beyond even the pain ripping through her body.</p><p>
  <b>My… it’s taken far too long. </b>
</p><p>
  <em> Who are you? </em>
</p><p>
  <b>Tell me… who is going to avenge her if you don’t? Forgiving him was never an option… Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within. I am thou, thou art I… </b>
</p><p>
  <em> You’re right… no more holding back! </em>
</p><p>
  <b>We can finally forge a contract… Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand? Then I shall gladly lend you my strength!</b>
</p><p>Ann comes back to the present, feeling power surge like a roaring flame through her limbs, letting her snap her metal restraints like string. A familiar weight rests on her face, and she claws at it, pulling at it despite the pain, knowing above everything else that she <em> needs to get that mask off. </em></p><p>With a triumphant scream, she rips it off, hot blood running down her face, feeling herself split into two, along cracks she’d barely acknowledged, her fury and rage turning into something <em> tangible, </em> something <em> powerful. </em></p><p>“Come to me… Carmen!”</p><p>A searing wave of heat rolls out from her, knocking over the suits of armor around her. One of their swords flies out of its grip; she seizes it in mid-air, using its falling momentum to slice that fake in <em> two. </em></p><p>The fake Ann disappears into fragments of shadow, and she turns, meeting Kamoshida’s eyes. “You know what?” she snarls, dropping the sword. “I’m not some helpless girl you can toy with, you scumbag.”</p><p>Kamoshida scrambles backwards, fear in his eyes. “You bitch…!”</p><p>“You stole everything from Shiho…” She feels a halberd form in her hands, and she clenches it, feeling her anger burn hotter. “You destroyed her… Now it’s your turn! <em> I will rob you of everything! </em>”</p><p>A guard shifts into the shape of a knight in red armor on horseback. “<em> How dare you! Enough of your insolence! </em>” it yells.</p><p>“No, I’ve had enough of <em> you, </em>” Ann growls. Kurusu, Sakamoto, and the cat walk up behind her, joining her in the fight. “No one’s gonna stop me now!”</p><p>“<em> How dare you deny King Kamoshida’s love, you insolent brat! </em>” the demon screams.</p><p>“That dirtbag just sees women as sexual outlets!” Ann snarls back. “Don’t make me laugh with that ‘love’ bullshit! C’mon, Carmen! Let’s give ‘em hell!”</p><p>Ann rips off her mask. “Agi!” A fireball shoots from behind her, setting the knight on fire. The horse panics, and the knight tries to put the fire out, leaving them vulnerable.</p><p>“Alright! All together!” the cat yells. It pulls out a slingshot and pelts the knight with pellets, knocking it off balance, while Sakamoto slams a metal pipe into the knight’s chest. Kurusu pulls off her mask, muttering something as a feminine figure appears behind her, before an ice-cold wind blows, snuffing out the fire and freezing the horse in place. Ann takes the initiative to slam her halberd into the knight’s back, hearing something rip before both knight and horse disappear into shadow.</p><p>“Oh shit…!” Kamoshida’s eyes widen as his last guard is defeated, before turning tail and running. </p><p>“Get back here, you son of a - Ngh!” Ann tries to run after him, but drops to her knees, her body collapsing under a wave of exhaustion, suddenly replacing that surge of power from earlier. </p><p>“Are you alright?” she hears Kurusu say from behind her. Ann turns to see her crouching down next to her.</p><p>“She must be exhausted from summoning her Persona,” the cat thing notes.</p><p>“Wait wait wait,” Ann protests. “What the heck is this thing? Is it alive? How can it talk? And… <em> where </em> in the <em> world </em> are we, anyway?!”</p><p>“Uh, well, y’see…” Ryuji stammers, and Ann suddenly notices he’s staring at her oddly. She looks down at herself self-consciously, and nearly yelps when she sees she’s wearing something entirely different.</p><p>“Wait, when did I change?!” She glances down and around; she looks kind of badass, even if she’d only admit it to herself. “What the hell is going on here?!”</p><p>“I’m sorry, Takamaki, but we don’t have any time to explain!” the cat thing says, jumping and waving its arms in the air. “A search party will be here to get us soon! We need to retreat!”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akira and Ryuji lead Takamaki back to the real world, where she leans against the alley wall, panting. “Gah… thanks for getting me out of there,” she mumbles.</p><p>“Looks like we made it back,” Ryuji sighs. “You alright, Takamaki?”</p><p>“I think so…?” she says, her breathing still heavy. “I’m gonna pass out when I get home, though… Wait, that’s not the important thing. You guys owe me an explanation.”</p><p>“You might be safe now, but a lot sure did happen back there,” Morgana notes. “At any rate, we stand out too much here. Let’s relocate somewhere we can talk.”</p><p>“The subway’ll work,” Ryuji offers. “You guys go ahead, I’ll get us somethin’ to drink.”</p><p>Akira nods. “Some of that iced tea you got for me, please,” she murmurs.</p><p>“No prob.”</p><p>Akira leads Takamaki to a seating area and sinks into the chair gratefully, but probably not as much as Takamaki, who goes limp the moment her back touches the seat’s backrest. “God, I’m so tired,” she mutters. “Is that normal for… going wherever that place is?”</p><p>“The first time,” Akira mumbles. “When you awaken to your Persona.”</p><p>“Right. Which is…?”</p><p>“Morgana-sensei says it’s the power of the heart,” Akira continues. “We use it to fight Shadows - the enemies that you saw in that castle. The castle is Kamoshida’s view of the school, taken shape in the other world, the Metaverse, because the distortion of his desires is so strong.”</p><p>“That’s correct, my lady,” Morgana says, peeking their head out of Akira’s bag. “That castle is called a Palace. Kamoshida sees the school as his castle, so a Palace formed where the school was. We can steal the Treasure from the Palace, which would make his distorted desires vanish, changing his heart. That’s our goal.”</p><p>Ryuji returns, holding two bottles of soda and a can. “Here’s your drink,” he says, holding out the can to Akira, who takes it gratefully. “Uh, which one you want, Takamaki?”</p><p>“Whichever’s not carbonated,” Takamaki sighs.</p><p>“Uh… they both are, haha.”</p><p>“Ugh, fine. Give me the strawberry.” Ryuji hands it over, and Takamaki takes a sip.</p><p>“What about me?” Morgana protests.</p><p>“Sorry, this has caffeine in it,” Akira mumbles. “Otherwise I’d share it with you.”</p><p>“So thoughtful,” Morgana mewls happily.</p><p>Takamaki laughs tiredly. “Haha… I’m actually listening to a cat,” she mumbles. “Oh, but, you said you’re not a cat, right?”</p><p>“And don’t forget it,” Morgana huffs.</p><p>“So, if what you told me is true…” Takamaki takes another sip. “We can make Kamoshida have a change of heart, right? Is… is that really possible? Can we actually force him to confess his crimes?”</p><p>Ryuji kicks at the ground. “The volleyball team’s keepin’ quiet about it, while teachers and parents turn a blind eye,” he mutters. “If guys like us try and complain, they’re just gonna shoot us down. Goin’ all in on this plan is the only choice we got.”</p><p>“Then let me help, too. I want to make him pay for what happened to Shiho.” She growls, clenching her fist. “He just keeps going like nothing happened, even after what he did to her… I’ll never forgive him.”</p><p>“Wait, wait, did you just say, ‘let me help’?” Ryuji says, sounding concerned. “You mean, you want us to take you along?”</p><p>“Of course I want you to take me along!” Takamaki snarls, then takes a deep breath. “Don’t act like I’m going to drag you down. Weren’t you watching? I can fight, too!”</p><p>“I didn’t mean… I’m sorry,” Ryuji mumbles. “But it’s up to our leader here,” he says, pointing his thumb at Akira.</p><p>“…I would never deny you the chance to get back at him,” Akira says quietly, after a moment. She looks into Takamaki’s eyes, hoping she can communicate that she’s thinking about their talk yesterday. Takamaki nods in response.</p><p>“It’s settled, then,” Morgana says. “We are a little lacking in manpower, after all.”</p><p>Takamaki smiles. “Good. Then I don’t have to go in alone.”</p><p>“Man, Takamaki…”</p><p>“We’re teammates,” Takamaki interrupts. “We should call each other by our first names, yeah? I’m Ann, in case you didn’t know.” She bows her head to Akira.</p><p>“I’m Akira,” Akira mumbles. “Should I call you Ann-san?” </p><p>“Ann-chan is fine,” Ann assures her. “Can I call you Akira-chan?”</p><p>“…S-sure.”</p><p>“Great!” Ann grins, still looking a little tired. “And I already know you’re Ryuji-kun.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, whatever, Ann.”</p><p>Ann rolls her eyes. “Anyway… I’m going to make Kamoshida atone for what he’s done,” she mutters, her eyes on the floor. “Not just for Shiho’s sake… but for <em> everything </em> he’s done. I won’t let any more people suffer because of him.”</p><p>“Hell yeah!” Ryuji grins at Ann.</p><p>Akira hears a familiar voice in her mind… </p><p>
  <em> I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast established a new bond. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> It shall become the song of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of servitude. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> With the birth of the Lovers Arcana, thou has obtained the power of connection that shall lead to freedom, and new wisdom…  </em>
</p><p>Akira feels energy flow from her and to her, a mutual bond of power between her and Ann, forming. Then, with a blink, it’s gone.</p><p>“Just let me know when you’re heading back in,” Ann says, bringing Akira’s attention back to her. “Oh, wait! We don’t have each other’s info.”</p><p>They trade phones, and Akira puts her number into Ann’s. When she gets her own phone back, she texts the new number, and Ann gives her a thumbs-up to show that she received the message.</p><p>“I’ll be counting on you three, then,” Ann says as she slips her phone back into her pocket.</p><p>“Same to you,” Ryuji mutters.</p><p>“I’m exhausted,” Ann sighs. “I’ll head home by myself, so, see ya.” Ann stands up and stretches, bowing her head in farewell before heading off.</p><p>Ryuji rolls his shoulder as he watches her leave. “Well, I should be headin’ back too,” he says. “So, uh, what’re you gonna do, Morgana?”</p><p>“I can’t contact you from within a Palace, so I’ll stay in this world,” Morgana says. “That being said, I’ll need someone to take care of me.”</p><p>“No way can I do that,” Ryuji mutters. “My apartment has a very strict no-pets policy… and, sorry, but that’s what you look like to most people.”</p><p>“Well…” Morgana sighs. “I don’t want to impose on a lady, but…”</p><p>“…It’s fine,” Akira mumbles. “I’ll work it out with Sakura-san somehow.”</p><p>Morgana meows happily. “Such a kind girl you are, my lady!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings:<br/>- Kamoshida stuff</p><p>I changed Ann's weapons to polearms because a whip isn't very practical.<br/>I don't really have much to say regarding this chapter? I kind of have a headache, and am tired because I was in pain most of the day yesterday. (Thanks uterus.) </p><p>Original post date: 2021-04-16.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Doctor's Insight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>No warnings for this chapter I could come up with.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Akira stands just inside the doorway of Leblanc, trying to figure out how to explain to Sakura that she has a cat.</p><p>Sakura looks up at her. “Go upstairs while we’re open,” he grumbles. Akira jumps at his admonishment, then scurries upstairs, trying not to look guilty. She places her bag on her bed and unzips it, sighing.</p><p>Morgana pokes their head out, eyes wide. “What the… what is this place?!” they yowl. “Is this some kind of abandoned house?! Why is such a fair lady living in such a dump?!”</p><p>Akira hears the door open, and hisses under her breath. “Hide,” she mutters without thinking.</p><p>Morgana jumps out of the bag, crouching low to Akira’s bed. “I would, but-”</p><p>“What the hell?” Sakura climbs up the stairs, looking across the room, his gaze quickly settling on Morgana. “Why do you have a cat?!”</p><p>“…They followed me home,” Akira mumbles.</p><p>Sakura runs his hand through his hair, sighing and muttering something under his breath that sounds like “why me”. Akira shrinks back, trying to make herself as small as possible.</p><p>“Look, this is a restaurant,” he finally says. “Animals are a no-go. Though…” He pauses, looking considering, and glances at Morgana, who’s giving him the roundest, cutest eyes they can probably muster. “I… suppose you might stay on good behavior if you have a pet to take care of. But keep it quiet when we’re open for business. And don’t let it roam downstairs, got it? And I’m not gonna take care of it - that’s all on you.”</p><p>Akira bows deeply. “Thank you so much, Boss,” she mumbles.</p><p>Sakura glances at Morgana again, and then heads back downstairs. “…Was that the ruler of this place?” Morgana asks.</p><p>“…I guess you could say that.”</p><p>Morgana nods. “He seemed pretty understanding for someone who keeps such a sweet lady like you cramped up in this awful place. Then again, to most people I just sound like a meowing cat.” They sit and lick their paw idly.</p><p>Akira hears Sakura coming back upstairs, and turns to face him, seeing that he’s holding a place of rice. He places the dish in front of Morgana, sighing and shaking his head. “Seriously… it just had to keep calling out with that cute voice…”</p><p>Akira smothers a giggle, which is helped by Sakura turning to face her again. “Make sure you wash that dish,” he says, pointing to where Morgana is now chowing down. “And… have you decided on a name?”</p><p>“Morgana.”</p><p>“Huh… Weird name, but if that’s what you’ve decided. It’s your cat, after all.” Sakura glances at Morgana once more before leaving.</p><p>Morgana meows happily. “This is soooo good…”</p><p>Akira smiles. “I’ll go get some food for myself once the shop is closed,” she mutters.</p><p>“When does it close?”</p><p>“Eight, if I remember correctly.”</p><p>Morgana stops eating and looks at Akira intensely. “You can’t wait that long, my lady!” they protest. “Go get some food, now!”</p><p>“But-”</p><p>“Now!”</p><p>Sighing, Akira heads downstairs. “…Can I boil some ramen?” she asks Sakura hesitantly.</p><p>Sakura looks at her, opening his mouth, then closing it again. Finally, he says, “Fine. Just clean up any mess you make.”</p><p>Akira does just that, aware of a woman in blue and black clothing watching her as she prepares her instant ramen. She tries not to glance back at her too much, but she can’t help it.</p><p>“Thanks for the food,” she hears her say finally. “Here’s what I owe you.”</p><p>“No problem, Doc,” Akira hears Sojiro reply. “Come back anytime.”</p><p>Footsteps, and the door jingles. The timer Akira set beeps, and she rushes to get the ramen off the stove.</p><p>“Take your food upstairs,” Sojiro mutters. Akira nods as she puts the seasoning in, and does as he asks.</p><p>“You’re back, my lady,” Morgana greets. “That food was delicious.”</p><p>“Boss is an amazing cook,” Akira agrees.</p><p>“Boss, huh? That’s what you call him?” Morgana licks a paw. “How long have you lived in this cafe of his?”</p><p>“Uh… about a week.”</p><p>“Seriously?” Morgana tilts their head curiously. “I thought humans preferred things longer-term than that.”</p><p>“W-well, I used to live with my parents,” Akira mumbles. “I got in trouble, though… and moved here to go to a new school.”</p><p>“‘In trouble’? What does that mean?”</p><p>“…I don’t want to talk about it.”</p><p>“Very well, my lady.” Morgana lays down with a sigh. “This place is awful, but it’s heaven compared to Kamoshida’s cells, I suppose. And I get to spend time with my lady, so it isn’t all bad.”</p><p>“…Do you mind… hiding your eyes?” Akira mumbles. “I, um, want to change.”</p><p>“O-oh, no worries, my lady!” Morgana dives under the covers. “Just let me know when!” comes their muffled voice.</p><p>Akira smiles despite herself as she pulls her pajamas out of her box of belongings. <em> I really ought to organize things more around here. </em> She changes quickly, then calls out for Morgana when she’s done. They poke their head out cautiously, then shake the blanket off when they see that she’s dressed.</p><p>“We should go to sleep soon; it’s been a long day,” Morgana mutters. “Um… there’s not really much else comfortable to sleep on in here… so do you mind if I… sleep on the bed with you?”</p><p>Akira considers it. “…I move around a lot while I sleep,” she mumbles. “But if you’re okay with that, I’m okay with it.”</p><p>“Alright then.” Morgana leaps onto the windowsill, waiting for Akira to sit down on the bed. She does so cautiously, making sure her nightgown doesn’t get hiked up to show anything, then plugs her phone in and settles down.</p><p>“I’m so tired…” she mumbles, soft enough that Morgana doesn’t react. “But when I close my eyes, I…” She tries to block out the memories; images of Suzui’s resigned face before she fell, images of things before, that happened less than <em> two weeks </em> prior but felt like an eternity ago after so many changes. She sighs, resigned to the fact that she isn’t going to sleep quite yet, then remembers something she wanted to ask Morgana. “You said you have amnesia?”</p><p>“…Yeah.” They look over at her, having curled up by her hip. “To be honest, I… I don’t remember anything about… how I came to be, I suppose. Though I suppose most humans don’t either.” They tuck their paws in, curling their tail around themself. “I think the Metaverse’s distortions made me lose my true form and my memories, somehow.”</p><p>“So… you think you were a human? Or are a human?” </p><p>“I’ve gotta be!” Morgana insists. “I mean, why else would I be able to talk like this? There’s no other possible explanation!”</p><p>“Hey, hey.” Akira puts a hand to Morgana’s head, realizing they’re getting upset. “It’s okay. I believe you.”</p><p>Morgana stares up at Akira. “I… thank you, my lady.” They blink slowly, making eye contact with the girl, piercing blue eyes meeting grey. “That… that means a lot.” Then they look away, seeming embarrassed. “I-I mean, of course! It’s obvious that I’m human, after all.”</p><p>Akira chuckles softly. <em> What a cutie. </em></p><p>“Well, uh…” Morgana flicks their ears, pushing their paws out from under them. “I’ll be sure to return the favor of you keeping me here. Due to my knowledgeable and dextrous nature, I have a lot of intel on infiltration tools.”</p><p>“…Infiltration tools?”</p><p>“That’s correct, my lady.” Morgana nods. “Lockpicks, distractions, quick escapes… all sorts of useful things for infiltrating Palaces. But not tonight; we need to sleep. It’s been a long day.”</p><p>“Of course…”</p><p>Akira hears a familiar voice in her mind… </p><p>
  <em> I am thou, thou art I… Thou hast established a new bond. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> It shall become the song of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of servitude. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> With the birth of the Magician Arcana, thou has obtained the power of connection that shall lead to freedom, and new wisdom…  </em>
</p><p>Akira feels energy flowing between her and Morgana, a bond of trust and vulnerability, fragile in its infancy. Then she blinks, and it’s gone.</p><p>Morgana interrupts her thoughts. “All right, I’m gonna stick with you wherever you go from tomorrow on. Personas are the strength of one’s heart, and I can tell you have a lot of potential. I want to see how my lady will grow in power as you gain life experience.”</p><p>“U-um, okay.”</p><p>Akira’s phone buzzes, and she pulls it out. Morgana crawls over to her side to read the message.</p><p>TA: Thanks for everything today</p><p>TA: you saved me, and I didn’t even thank you properly.</p><p>KA: You should thank Ryuji-kun.</p><p>TA: I was planning to once I thanked you</p><p>TA: I could easily tell you were the leader of the group.</p><p>KA: Really?</p><p>TA: Yeah, it’s kinda hard to explain</p><p>TA: but also because of our talk we had yesterday.</p><p>TA: God, that feels like a million years ago.</p><p>KA: Yeah, I know what you mean.</p><p>TA: A lot happened today</p><p>TA: but I’m glad to know I can count on you</p><p>TA: and the reverse applies!</p><p>TA: If you have anything you want to talk about, just lmk</p><p>KA: Thanks. Good night, I guess.</p><p>TA: night!</p><p>Akira clicks her phone off and sets it on the side table she’d dragged over by her bed. “You guys send messages to each other with that thing, right?” Morgana asks her. She nods. “Well, I want in, too, so I’m going to have to ask you to type for me.”</p><p>“I guess I can do that,” Akira mumbles. <em> So tired… but…  </em></p><p>“Hey, you look tired. You should be sleeping already!” Morgana insists.</p><p>“I’m trying…”</p><p>“Close your eyes. It’ll help.”</p><p>Akira closes her eyes, but it doesn’t take long before memories start to invade her vision. She opens them again, only to find Morgana glaring at her. “Go. To. Sleep.”</p><p>With a sigh, she closes her eyes again. Strangely, the heat of Morgana’s body pressing against her side soothes her enough to stave off her usual nightmares… for now.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akira stops by one of the vending machines on her way to school, intending to get some of the iced tea Ryuji had gotten for her. She’s grabbing it out of the compartment when she hears two girls talking nearby.</p><p>“What’s wrong? You don’t look so good.”</p><p>“I haven’t been feeling well lately, and I have no energy… I’ve tried every drug at the pharmacy, but nothing works. Do I have some new virus?” The sick girl’s voice gets higher as she panics. “Is this the onset of a psychotic breakdown? What should I do? Am I going to die?!”</p><p>“Calm down, calm down!” her friend responds. “Listen, I live near Yongen. There’s a doctor there, Takemi-san, she’ll give you the most amazing medicine. Come on, I’ll take you after school.”</p><p>“A doctor, huh…” Morgana meows. “Wasn’t that one customer at Leblanc last night a doctor?”</p><p>“Are you feeling sick?” Akira asks, before realizing how stupid that question was, all things considering.</p><p>“N-no!” Morgana protests. “B-but thank you for asking, my lady. I just thought… hmm…”</p><p>Akira shrugs. “Tell me later. We’ll be late at this rate.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryuji texts them in class.</p><p>SR: we meeting up at the hideout after school?</p><p>TA: Don’t text now, we’re in class.</p><p>SR: you actually listen to this crap?</p><p>KA: I try.</p><p>TA: Me too, but none of it is really sticking today</p><p>SR: exactly!</p><p>SR: anyway, hideout or no?</p><p>TA: Where’s this hideout anyway?</p><p>SR: school roof</p><p>TA: I thought that was off-limits?</p><p>SR: its cool, someone does gardening up there or som shit</p><p>KA: Yeah, let’s go to the hideout.</p><p>SR: epic, ill be waiting</p><p>“Hey, Kurusu!” Ushimaru calls out sharply. Akira jumps, nearly dropping her phone, but manages to slip it into her bag. “Pay attention! Is that how you listen when someone’s talking to you?!”</p><p>The teacher throws a piece of chalk at her, which Akira dodges without thinking. She groans internally as she realizes the stunt probably just drew more attention to her.</p><p>As if confirming her fears, she hears whispers.</p><p>“Whoa… Did you see that? That was the prostitute transfer!”</p><p>“Bet she had a lot of practice dodging things…”</p><p>“Don’t listen to them, my lady,” Morgana says quietly. “You only dodged that because of how elegant and graceful you are!”</p><p>Akira doesn’t answer. Instead, she spends the rest of the day doing her best to blend in as much as possible, hard as that was for her.</p><p>As Ryuji asked, they meet up on the school roof. “Looks like we’re all here,” Ryuji says. “So, let’s get goin’, then!”</p><p>“Hold on!” Morgana protests. “It’s still too early for us to go into the Palace.”</p><p>“But why? Don’t we just gotta steal that Treasure thing?”</p><p>“Don’t underestimate the dangers of that place!” Morgana says sharply. “We need to prepare.”</p><p>“Ain’t that Persona shit we got enough to deal with it?” Ryuji responds impatiently.</p><p>“Ugh! That’s exactly what I mean when I say don’t underestimate it!” Morgana stomps their front paw, wagging their tail furiously. “We’ll die if we mess up in there. So we need to prepare.”</p><p>“But… how exactly are we supposed to do that?” Ann asks.</p><p>“I’m glad you asked, Ann.” Morgana sighs, sitting back. “First, we’ll need to find better equipment for all of you.”</p><p>“Oh, so like weapons and shit?” Ryuji says excitedly. “I know a kick-ass place!”</p><p>“Alright, then you can handle that side of things.” Morgana nods to themself. “Then, it’s important that we keep ourselves healthy… Someone who’s knowledgeable about those kinds of things would be ideal. Checkups and such, plus medicine, of course.” Morgana turns their head to Akira. “There’s apparently a doctor in Yongen who has amazing medicine. That kind of thing will help, since it’s a cognitive world.”</p><p>“Makes sense,” Akira mumbles.</p><p>Morgana nods happily. “My lady and I will take care of that, so why don’t we break for today?”</p><p>“Sounds good to me,” Ryuji replies, stretching. “I’ll be sure to pick out some great stuff. Any preferences? It’s a model gun store, so…”</p><p>“Handgun for me,” Akira mumbles.</p><p>“I want something that shoots fast and a lot!” Ann says excitedly.</p><p>“Uh, alright.” Ryuji shrugs.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Morgana pokes their head out of Akira’s bag as she exits the station. “I’m gonna be honest,” they say, as Akira sits down on a nearby bench, tired. “The main reason I want you to go to this doctor is because you’re in no shape for a major infiltration.”</p><p>“…What does that mean?” Akira mumbles.</p><p>“I-I mean!” Morgana yowls, looking flustered. “Most people wouldn’t have to sit down after only the walking you’ve done so far!”</p><p>“…Really?”</p><p>Morgana looks at Akira intensely. “My lady, if you’re going to lead this team, you’re going to have to start taking care of yourself,” they say sternly. “Come on, just- they’re a doctor, they’ll see what I mean. So be sure to follow everything they say!”</p><p>“Okay, okay,” Akira mumbles. “Stop making so much noise, please.”</p><p>“Fine,” Morgana mutters. “But if I figure out you’re not heading to that clinic, I’ll kick up a fuss!”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Takemi hears the clinic door open, and looks up to see a dark-haired girl with glasses walk in, holding her bag tightly. She stands next to the door, just far enough away that she’s not blocking it, looking nervous.</p><p>“Is this your first visit?” Takemi asks. “Come on over, I won’t bite.”</p><p>“Um, okay.” The girl shuffles over to the front desk, not meeting her eyes.</p><p>“Hmm…” Takemi looks over the high school girl, finding far too many things not to her taste. “Weren’t you the girl helping Boss, that is, Sakura-san, out at his cafe?”</p><p>“Y-yeah, that’s me.”</p><p>“Well, whatever. What’re you here for today?”</p><p>“I…” She clears her throat. “Um, my body feels lethargic.”</p><p><em> No surprises there. </em> Takemi can see it in her pale complexion, her withdrawn, tired stance, the shadows under her eyes. “Alright. Please head to the exam room.”</p><p>Takemi heads there herself, coming out from behind the front desk to find the girl already sitting on the exam table, her bag next to her. “So, tell me. You getting enough sleep? Eating enough? You look like you’re a freshman, high school getting to you?”</p><p>“…I’m actually a second year,” she mumbles. “I skipped second grade.”</p><p>“Hmm.” <em> Probably stress more than anything, then. She’d feel disconnected to her peers, and she’d be expected to act more mature than other kids her age. </em> “What’s your name?”</p><p>“…Kurusu Akira.”</p><p>“Well, Kurusu-san, what do you want out of this?” Takemi looks down at her clipboard, noting that this appointment could go on for hours and wouldn’t conflict. “I can do a full check-up, I can take your height and weight, I can get a blood sample, whatever. Do you have a primary care physician?”</p><p>“Um, I actually just moved here about a week ago.”</p><p>“Alright, do your parents know you’re here?”</p><p>“…I’m not living with my parents anymore.” Kurusu was shrinking into herself, giving off the distinct impression that she’s uncomfortable with this line of questioning, so Takemi changes tack.</p><p>“You go to school, right? Can I get your medical records there?”</p><p>“U-um, sure. Do you need my ID?”</p><p>“Your name and school name is enough.” Takemi takes in the girl’s uniform. “Let’s see… Shujin Academy, right?” Kurusu nods in response. “Regardless, you didn’t answer my question. How many hours of sleep are you getting? How much do you eat each day? Gotta know the basics.”</p><p>“Um, I’m not sure how much sleep I get,” Kurusu mumbles. “I wake up at six, and I usually read on my phone to fall asleep…”</p><p>“A lot of phones nowadays have a blue light filter. Try that.” Takemi rubs her wrist, sighing. “And food?”</p><p>“My… guardian usually gives me dinner, and I try to eat something on the way to school…”</p><p>Takemi <em> tsk </em>s before she can stop herself. “I get that high schoolers are busy these days, but try to eat three meals a day, alright? You’ll be surprised how much better you’ll feel.”</p><p>“U-um, okay.”</p><p>“And as for the sleep…” Takemi flips through the pages on her clipboard, checking the inventory. “Ah, we’re out of sleeping supplements. Tell me, do you get headaches? Migraines, even?”</p><p>“Um, yeah, I get headaches…”</p><p>“Alright then. Painkillers it is. And dietary supplements too, though they’re no replacement for good food. They should just keep you on your feet while your body adjusts to a higher calorie intake.” The doctor flips her papers back into place, looking Kurusu in the eyes. “I want to take your height, weight, and blood pressure. That good with you?”</p><p>“S-sure.” The girl glances away. <em> Trouble with eye contact, huh? </em></p><p>Kurusu slips her shoes off and steps on the scale, looking down at the ground. “Stand up straight, please,” Takemi asks, and she does, rolling her shoulders back. She flinches briefly when Takemi lowers the height measurement to her head, but otherwise stands stock still.</p><p><em> She’s very short for her age, and underweight even for her height. Geez. Kinda glad she’s not living with people who let her get like this anymore. Hopefully her new guardian is taking better care of her. </em> Takemi shakes her head; dismissing the thoughts. <em> Tae, you sap, this is why you’re here in the first place. Can’t get too involved. </em> </p><p>She takes her blood pressure manually; it’s a little too low for comfort. Kurusu winces whenever she touches her, so Takemi decides she’s bothered her enough.</p><p>“Alright, here’s your meds,” she sighs as she returns from the back room. “Make sure to follow the instructions carefully, and I wrote down some extra stuff for how you should be taking care of yourself. Come back and see me… let’s say, the twenty-sixth? Sound good to you?” Kurusu nods after a moment. “Then that’s settled. Anything else you wanna tell me?”</p><p>“N-no thank you,” Kurusu mumbles. “T-thank you for the help. How much do I owe you?”</p><p>The girl doesn’t blink as Takemi lists the prices, which is more than she can say for most new clients. She simply pays for the visit and medicine, counting out her bills quickly. “Um, keep the change.”</p><p>“I don’t need it.” Takemi counts out the coins from the register and hands them over, which Kurusu takes after a moment. “Thanks for the business.”</p><p>Kurusu stands up, holding her bag close to her. “Y-you’re welcome. Thank you for the medicine.”</p><p>Takemi watches her leave the exam room, noting how she carries her bag. <em> You’d think she has something alive in there or something… </em></p><p>Akira sighs, staring at the floor, considering sinking into one of the chairs from how much that doctor’s constant assessing of her wore her out. She almost doesn’t notice when the clinic door opens again, and a man in a suit strides past her, causing her to shrink back.</p><p>To her surprise, he goes into the exam room right away. “What’s the reason for your visit?” she hears the doctor say tiredly. “Do you have a cold? Stomachache? Athlete’s foot? Whatever it is, you’ll have to take a number…”</p><p>“Enough of this,” another voice, presumably the man, snaps. Akira jolts instinctively, but she doesn’t leave. “You’re the only one who could have developed that type of medicine.”</p><p>“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re-”</p><p>“Don’t play dumb with me!” he growls. “Rumor has it, it’s a drug so potent it can give a person unlimited power.”</p><p>“Really? That’s news to me.”</p><p>“Developing experimental drugs, medicine, and herbal remedies violates all health regulations. Are you attempting to create a super-stimulant? A drug like that will only become a social issue.”</p><p>The doctor sighs. “You’re really persistent, you know that? I’m just a quack.”</p><p>“The police may not be taking action, but I imagine the media will soon pick up on it. You intend to ruin my reputation again, huh? You’re a disgrace to the medical community.”</p><p>Akira hears the doctor grunt in displeasure, but otherwise she doesn’t respond.</p><p>“What’s with that look? That was your mistake, was it not?” the man says smugly. “I won’t be responsible for your criminal actions. Dispose of that medicine immediately and resign. The name ‘Takemi Tae’ will never-” He pauses, going silent. “Is someone out there?!”</p><p>Akira squeaks in fear and scrambles out of the clinic.</p><p>Outside, she sinks down to the ground, pressing herself against the wall of a building. Morgana peeks their head out of her bag. “Are you alright, my lady?”</p><p>“…You heard what happened in there, right?” Akira murmurs.</p><p>“Yeah…” Morgana flicks their ears. “Sorry if I got you wrapped up in anything shady…”</p><p>“No, it’s okay.” Akira takes a deep breath, trying to convince herself to stand up. “I don’t think she’s a bad person or anything… probably just misunderstood.”</p><p>
  <em> Bonds with those who, like you, have been robbed of their place to belong…  </em>
</p><p>Akira shakes her head; she doesn’t want to think about that long-nosed man. “Anyway, we should get home…”</p><p>“Of course, my lady. You need your beauty sleep!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry I took so long to post this one chapter - I got vaccinated soon after I posted the last one and it kicked my ass. Not fun, lemme tell ya. And I'm going to have to get a second shot soon, too; so I'm going to try to get as many chapters out as possible before that happens.<br/>And so we see Morgana being their usual self, heh. They're very protective of Akira! Plus Takemi instantly seeing how very not healthy Akira is. I gave that scene her POV so that we could see Akira's state from an expert's perspective, if that makes sense? Hence the chapter's name, Doctor's Insight.</p><p>Original post date: 2021-05-2.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Current full list of warnings for this story:<br/>- Intrusive thoughts<br/>- Unintentional victim-blaming<br/>- Mentions/implications of CSA<br/>- Implied ableism<br/>- Implied past child abuse<br/>- Panic attacks<br/>- Everything in the Kamoshida arc and more<br/>- Beyond canon-typical violence<br/>- Ableism-charged abuse<br/>- Misogynistic use of the word "bitch"<br/>- Non-explicit descriptions of partial nudity<br/>- Claustrophobia<br/>- POV person going nonverbal due to autism, anxiety, etc.<br/>- Assumptions of underage sex work (no actual underage sex work happens)<br/>- Brief usages of caps lock<br/>- Cognitions being creepy because that is what the cognition do<br/>- Sensory overload<br/>- Attempted suicide</p><p>Thank you for reading and please comment, it fuels my writing.</p><p>Special thanks to DestructionDragon360 for beta'ing, helping with ideas and a listening ear, and generally just being an awesome person!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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